Tales of a Runaway
by CyberSearcher
Summary: (Takes place in the same world as the 'Engines' comic on tumblr) A street rat, failed experiments and a conspiracy. What do they all share? Stories of greed, pride and for some, hope.
1. Chapter 1

**This is something I've had in the back of my mind for a while. I know I haven't posted much in-like 3/4 months and sorry to anyone who actually happened to enjoy these things. But I'll try to get at least 3 chapters out for this. This is based of of Sketchy Skulls/BlueBerry Pies Thomas and Friends Humanized AU called 'Engines', just search that on Tumblr and you'll find it. Basically, there was an experiment done to the engines to make them human. I won't say anything else.**

* * *

Darkness, that was it. As cliche as it sounded; there were no walls, no roof and not even a ceiling. He just floated there, in the void. Then a sharp pain raged through his body as a horrible feeling took place. It was as if they were being stuffed into a cage, forcefully and painfully. It felt terrible, but there was something worse. Places, people, memories, all being stripped from his mind. He tried to lunge out and hold them close but he couldn't. Something was tethering him onto something. He tried to fight it but with every movement, every struggle made the pain intensified a hundredfold. So he tried to keep the only memories that weren't washed away.

' _I will do it, I will do it, I will do it."_

* * *

Two scientist were standing in what appeared to be some sort of laboratory. It was constructed out of dull concrete with thin windows close to the ceiling. At the entrance were double mechanical doors with a faded light pouring through. There were several tables pushed to the side, most were barren but some had strange papers with pictures of living machines all stamped out with bold red letter that said 'DECEASED'.

The men were packing the documents into large, worn, leather suitcases that were already overflowing with papers. In front of them were several test tubes. Inside were what appeared to be people, but there skin was a pale gray and they each had a number tattooed on there arms in black ink. 2, 3 ,4, 7 and 8. There were heart monitors attached to each of them but they were all switched off, except for the one with the number 2 person inside.

"Are you sure they can't be recovered?" A young man, roughly in his mid 20's asked. "One of them still shows conscious brain activity."

"These experiments were a fool's errand." said a man who was a few decades older. He stuffed another document into his suitcase.

' _RING' 'RING'_

"I got it." The elder scientist walked over to the old phone hanging close to the door. "Yes sir? What! Of course sir, we've cleared out the lab. No. Very well, good night sir."

"What'd the Controler say?" The younger man asked.

"We're leaving, now." He replied hastily.

"But,"

"NOW."

Reluctantly, the man shambled over to the test tube. With a last glance to see the old man already walking out the door he shut down the life support. And rushed out the door. Yet, at the same moment bubbles began to float from the floating figures breathing mask. Minutes after his eyes burst open.

 _'Hmm, what, where am I? Where is this? Am I floating, but why am I in water? Who put me here?'_

Question after question flooded his brain as he struggled to see through the fluid. He could make out the fuzzy shapes of the outside and a light at the back of the room but that was all. He began to move but was surprised by the felling of individual parts.

 _Wait, I have arms? And legs? Am I supposed to have legs? Don't I ha-_

Before he could continue his thoughts images began to flash across his mind. Vague places, the sounds of the night , the smell of something mechanical, then a loud thundering. His new limbs began to spasm and bang against the glass, creating cracks and fissures. Through a burst of strength he cracked open the tube and stumbled onto the concrete floor. He lay there twitching until he recovered from the shock.

 _Pain, pain, why is there so much pain..._

The seizure was both mentally and physically exhausting for him but he had enough energy to remain conscious. As he refilled his lungs he saw the other figures in the glass. He was struck with a strong feeling of sadness and longing, as well as a mild headache. He looked around the laboratory, until he looked at the shattered remains of the tube. It was streaked with fluid and the remaining glass was cracked and jagged. But one section was clear enough to give him a reflection. An when he saw it, it only added to the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Looking back at him was the image of a man around his early 30's. His hair was ebony black and was messy and dripping wet. His eyes were a similar colour and his skin was slate gray. He tore his gaze away from the reflection, breath rapid.

 _That was me? But am I supposed to look like that. No, I don't think so. So what am I?_

He forced his body to sit up but it felt unnatural. The only way he knew what the position was, felt more like a repeated memory than instinct. He wiped away the hair that dripped down in front of his eyes.

 _I am a Stranger in a Strange land. Or at least, a world not meant for me._


	2. Chapter 2

**Side Note: I actually bothered to find a Map for the Island of Sodor and plot the most logical place for the story. I'm not a very 'hardcore' fan so forgive me if I get the geography wrong. But don't worry ,you don't need to know the location of the town for the sake of the story.**

* * *

 **? POV**

 _I still don't know what's going on, why am I here? Who are the others in the glass cases? Are they like me? But who am I? None of this makes any sense but I don't think I want to be here. But what about the other?_

He crawled over slowly to the base of another tube. The figure inside was limp, there head floating around like it was attached with flimsy rubber. Slowly and shakily, he brought himself to his feet. His limbs still felt numb but he had a faint idea of how to support his own weight. He leaned against the container for support and took a closer look at the other grey figure.

Their hair was the same coal black shade along with the unnatural grey skin. But other then that, they were very similar except for subtle details in there nose which was rounder and other features to small for him to notice. The only other detail they had in common was the number '4' tattooed on their shoulder in matching black ink. Subconsciously, he ran his finger across his own tattoo which was a '2'.

At that moment he felt another spasm attack strike so he backed away, stumbling onto his backside in the process. But it didn't stop more images streaking through his mind. This time they were much clearer but more painful as if something tried to drain them away but whatever it was tried to force it's way back.

He saw railroad tracks and the back of a line of coaches, then the sound of a steam whistle. Then a sudden rush of heat and a slow incline forward. Someone saying 'I can't do it!' but someone else encouraging himself and whoever was at the front of the train. 'I will do it, I will do it'. It took him a moment for him to realize that it was his voice even though he had never heard it. Then it all just stopped. He pushed himself upward onto shaky legs and tried to make sense of the images.

 _Not again, why does this keep happening? Were those memories? I heard my voice, but what was I pushing?_

Oddly, there was something else he could recall though it wasn't something he heard in the flashback. His name; Edward. He smiled quietly to himself at the recollection.

 _Edward, ed-ward. That's my name, it sounds nice. Like a King or something. I wonder if I am a king? But then what would I be doing here?_

Edward looked back to the tube, something about that figure seemed more familiar now but he couldn't figure out what. He still had so many questions and nothing felt certain not even his limited memories, which felt like a more like a vivid dream than anything else.

 _I need answers, I have to help the others and I know I don't belong here._

He began to inch towards the entrance, pressing against the cold steel. Before he could step outside the compound he took one last glance at the figures suspended like marionettes in the glass. Then walked outside and took in his surroundings.

The building was smaller then what he expected, not much bigger then an average house. It was more of a stone box then a building and there were sparsely placed windows which were smeared with dust. There was a parking lot in the front but there no cars present. Edward shivered slightly but decided to suck it up and began his trek. But to where he was uncertain.

:===============:

It was a lazy spring morning for the town of Lakeside (Which is a pretty ironic name since there is no lake) on the Island of Sodor. Not many people were up at this hour so it was a prime time for Shale to do her 'shopping' for breakfast.

"Get back here, thief!" a man bellowed from the entrance of his shop.

The young street rat skidded through a corner and restarted her sprint through the alleyway. In her arms was a half eaten loaf of bread and in her mouth, an apple. Her hair was short and deep amber colored, kept out of her pea green eyes with a bandanna the color of the sea. She had an aviator jacket with small cuts on the sleeves over a stained green shirt. Her pants were shredded at the edges and had holes in her knees.

She glanced back momentarily to see nobody following her. She smirked and stuffed the bread in her bag and kept running. The alley opened up to the back end of the town, which gave away to a large overgrown forest. At this point she stopped her sprint since there was no point in running. She shoved her way through the thick bushes and began to search for her camp. Other that the other animals, as far as she knew she was the only living soul in this forest. "Now, which tree was my base?"

Really, it wasn't so much a base as it was the world's most dangerous treefort. Anyone who saw it from the ground would only see a mess of fabrics and scrap but this was home. She grabbed the lowest branch and began her climb. It took her no time for her to reach her spot. Shale had layered any firm materials she could find across the branches to create small platforms she secured with cloth. Sure, it was dangerous but it was either that or risk rolling out of the tree or sleeping on the ground and risk getting mauled by wolves or who knows what.

Shale threw down her bag on one of the shorter branched and pulled out the piece of bread. She sat on a platform and leaned against the sturdy pine. She took the time to look through her supplies. She fished out everything and dumped out all the crumbs. She didn't keep everything in her bag though, she had a stash of goods hanging from some branches and you'd be surprised how much she could hide on her frame.

The bag had a few spare shirts and pants she 'borrowed', a few dollars and some change she earned from some nice strangers and some pencils and paper. Though she had alot more stashed on her person. She had some more money tucked in the folds of her bandana, and a dagger strapped to her waist and another shorter dagger hidden in her boot. But if you wonder why she didn't just pay for the food; money is the 3rd most important thing as a street rat. Not to mention it's to easy to steal from the drowsy merchants at the crack of dawn.

While counting and recounting her limited supplies she registered a quiet rustling noise from below but didn't react. But when she heard a large crash her head cracked upward. Her mind began racing with possibilities for the noise. _'Police? Dogs? Bears? Did that fat merchant actually bother to follow me?_ _Doubtful, never tried anything like that before. Picks looking for help? He knows better then to sneak up on me.'_

She peeked through the cracks in her canopy to try and spot the source of the noise. She kept a firm grip in the hilt of her dagger and ran through all possibilities. If it turned out to be some kind of animal she would either try to catch it for food or stay quiet and let it pass. But if a person walked into view she'd climb higher and make herself invisible for the remainder of the day. She wasn't really keen on explaining why a 13 year old girl was hiding in the trees with a runaways treasure hoard.

Eventually, she was greeted with the sight of a human but it wasn't what she expected. A younger man with deathly pale skin, an almost grey tone tripped into view. He fell face first onto the ground, Shale could hear him groan. What was both interesting and confusing was the number '2' imprinted in black ink on his right shoulder.

Oh, and his glaring lack of clothes.

Shale was perplexed, out of all the situations this was anything but what she expected. Part of her mind told her to look away and just ignore him but the other half felt curious. It wasn't the most desirable trait to have, especially in her lifestyle but she couldn't help it.

 _'Nothing to gain, nothing to lose'._ She mentally quoted. _If I do help him then that's another mouth to feed, not to mention he might be the clingy type that's the last thing I need. Still, he could use some pants for the sake of knows, this could be fun'_ She gathered some change, two oranges and bundled it with some pants that were to short for her and a tarp he could use as a blanket. Then she held the bundle in her mouth and began her slow climb.

 _Wonder what's you'r story?_

As she made her way down he still didn't get up. This gave her a chance to look him over. He didn't look threatening but he was also somewhat muscles which added to Shales confusion. ' _So he's naked, with grey skin, has a tattoo and is hanging out in a forest for some reason. Um, I'm guessing either a member of some gang or a stoner on some weird new drug'._

Taking another glance at the number two made something click in the back of her mind. Something about it was familiar, but whatever it was, or whoever he was, she couldn't put a name or a face to it. The only things she could pick out were the colour blue, running and hiding (Which wasn't very helpful since most of her days consisted of running and hiding), and talking with someone big.

He wasn't waking up so I nudged him with my foot. "Rise and Shine, mate." _Time for some answers_


	3. Chapter 3

**? POV**

 _I still don't know what's going on, why am I here? Who are the others in the glass cases? Are they like me? But who am I? None of this makes any sense but I don't think I want to be here. But what about the other?_

He crawled over slowly to the base of another tube. The figure inside was limp, there head floating around like it was attached with flimsy rubber. Slowly and shakily, he brought himself to his feet. His limbs still felt numb but he had a faint idea of how to support his own weight. He leaned against the container for support and took a closer look at the other grey figure.

Their hair was the same coal black shade along with the unnatural grey skin. But other then that, they were very similar except for subtle details in there nose which was rounder and other features to small for him to notice. The only other detail they had in common was the number '4' tattooed on their shoulder in matching black ink. Subconsciously, he ran his finger across his own tattoo which was a '2'.

At that moment he felt another spasm attack strike so he backed away, stumbling onto his backside in the process. But it didn't stop more images streaking through his mind. This time they were much clearer but more painful as if something tried to drain them away but whatever it was tried to force it's way back.

He saw railroad tracks and the back of a line of coaches, then the sound of a steam whistle. Then a sudden rush of heat and a slow incline forward. Someone saying 'I can't do it!' but someone else encouraging himself and whoever was at the front of the train. 'I will do it, I will do it'. It took him a moment for him to realize that it was his voice even though he had never heard it. Then it all just stopped. He pushed himself upward onto shaky legs and tried to make sense of the images.

 _Not again, why does this keep happening? Were those memories? I heard my voice, but what was I pushing?_

Oddly, there was something else he could recall though it wasn't something he heard in the flashback. His name; Edward. He smiled quietly to himself at the recollection.

 _Edward, ed-ward. That's my name, it sounds nice. Like a King or something. I wonder if I am a king? But then what would I be doing here?_

Edward looked back to the tube, something about that figure seemed more familiar now but he couldn't figure out what. He still had so many questions and nothing felt certain not even his limited memories, which felt like a more like a vivid dream than anything else.

 _I need answers, I have to help the others and I know I don't belong here._

He began to inch towards the entrance, pressing against the cold steel. Before he could step outside the compound he took one last glance at the figures suspended like marionettes in the glass. Then walked outside and took in his surroundings.

The building was smaller then what he expected, not much bigger then an average house. It was more of a stone box then a building and there were sparsely placed windows which were smeared with dust. There was a parking lot in the front but there no cars present. Edward shivered slightly but decided to suck it up and began his trek. But to where he was uncertain.

RR-RR-RR-RR

 _What am I even looking for? Why should I bother trying, but I need answers. I don't want to stumble around like a lost bull for the rest of my life. I want to know who I am, what I was, who were those other people, why wer- ACK_

His line of thought was derailed when he tripped on a lower branch hidden in the dirt. Edward flailed wildly but still landed face first regardless. He struggled to get to his feet, still not accustomed to his limbs. He shook his head to try and clear away the ringing noise in his ears and any dirt that clung to him. He sat upward but was met with a new surprise.

"What the heck are you supposed to be?"

 **Shale POV**

Okay, that may not have been the nicest thing to say but seriously, what kind of person has _grey_ skin. Whatever, I'll just give him some pants and let him wonder to wherever he's going. Still, there's something unsettling about him, other than the obvious skin problem of course.

"First I need to know two things. Who are you and why are you here?" I made sure to look him dead in the eye. Better to be feared than loved. But this guy kept on giving me this dumb look like I was the only human he's ever seen. I just rolled my eyes and pulled him upright.

"Here, put these on and tell me when your done." I (not so gently) threw the extra pants at him and sat up in the lower branches of the tree. I decided to take the extra orange I had and started eating. I left the skin on on purpose since this'll probably be the most fruit I'll have this week and I'm not about to waste it.

The guy hasn't said anything but I guessed he was done so I turned around briefly and I managed to get a good look at him in the light. He really did have grey skin (Some kinda makeup? Or side effect of a drug?) and he had a black number '2' printed on his back. I had to admit that he wasn't so bad looking - though a tad dopey. He was struggling to pull up the pants and started doing this funny one legged hop around the clearing.

 _Unbelievable, this guys either really high or really stupid. Why do I even bother helping him. Well, it's not like I have anything better to_ do. I kept going back and forth trying to decide if this was really worth the effort. In the corner of my eye I noticed that he finally got the pants on so I threw him the extra orange.

"Here, catch." I threw it vaguely in his direction. "So, what's your story, druggie?"

"Umm, my name is Edward. At least I think that's my name." He mumbled.

"You _think_ thats your name? You must've been on something real strong. Anyways scram, the last thing I need is you leaching of my supplies" No need to get attached. So I just started climbing back up my tree until I felt Edward grab my hand.

"Wait! Please, I, well, other people need your help. There trapped in these awful glass jars and there just floating there. We-"

"Okay; first, there is no 'we'. I just happened to be feeling sentimental today. And second, if you need help so badly go back to town and you'll find everything you need there. Just keep walking straight and you'll find a dirt track that'll lead you there."

He let go of my hand and gave me a sudden hug. I was taken of guard but he had a tighter grip than what I expected. I managed to wriggle my way out and he looked genuinely sad. Did he expect me to just accept a hug from a stranger? "The hell was that for?"

"I- I thought that's what people do when they want to say 'thank-you'."

"Well my version of thank you would be you getting out of my line of sight this instant." That may have sounded cold but I needed to get him out before I started to go all mushy for him.

And just like that he bolted. Man, if giving him imprecise direction to that dinky old town was all I needed to get people of my back then I ought to start with that more often. Still, I'd be lying to myself if I wasn't at least a tiny, okay, extremely curious about where that guy came from. I may as well look around since I don't think I'll be able to show my face there after that stunt with the baker.

 _Beside, nothing to gain nothing to lose._


	4. Chapter 4

_Entry Number 20  
_

 _There have been significant complications regarding the transfer process from living machine to the human 'shells'. The larger construction equipment, naval ships and majority of the steam engines transfer have bore, unsavory results. There have been multiple theories regarding why only a select few of the machines transferred successfully. Some say that perhaps the vast stores of memories did not have enough storage room inside the replica brains we created. This may be the solution but there are some inconsistencies. The majority of the narrow gauge engines were successfully transferred and they are some of the oldest machine on the island._

 _As for the larger machines transferred, most of the ones that were successful suffered from a form of memory loss. At first this was incredibly helpful, making them even more obedient than they were before. But certain sights or sounds like a particular station or the sound of a animal cause them to endure some kind of seizure. Afterwards, pieces of memories began to reappear making them increasingly volatile. Luckily, there are much more efficient ways to dispose of them in there current state. Unfortunately there is something we forgot to factor. The shells somehow managed to retain the level of strength they had as machines making it difficult, but not impossible to train them. No pun intended._

 _Most of the shells have been taken off life support. We still have a good supply of living machines in storage so it's no grand loss. Though we would be more efficient in producing shells if we had th-_

The ringing at the telephone broke the scientist of from his thoughts. He closed the journal and tucked it in his lab coat and when to answer the phone.

"Yes?"

"It's the subjects from the main lab. They've escaped the premise, destroyed the lab and injured Sir Topham."

"WHAT!" He yelled into the phone. That lab held at least a third of his greatest achievements and it was somehow destroyed by creatures not even accustomed to limbs.

"S-sir?" The voice at the on the end cracked slightly. "With Sir Topham gone, leadership transfers t-to you. What a-are your orders?"

He took a moment to compose himself from the outburst. "Find them. Start searching all the closest towns, they shouldn't be to hard to spot. And once you do, contain them separately and make sure they stay that was."

Before the other man could ask anything more he roughly hung up the phone. He packed up all of the noted scattered around his desk and and volatile chemicals he didn't need someone else to find. Checking over the lab one last time he grabbed his overstuffed suitcase he locked the door to his study.

"Oh, you're going already dear?."

He turned and gave the woman sitting in the armchair a bright smile. He walked over and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "I'm sorry dear, but there's been a accident at work. I'm going over to see what happened."

The lady had fading blond hair that was more gray due to stress and age but she placed her book in her lap and smiled anyways. "Alright, but be careful out there."

"Aren't I always?" He called, already halfway down the stairs.

"And make sure to bring an umbrella, it's starting to rain."

The man simply rolled his eyes and walked through the door, not caring for her warning.

:===========:

The rain fell loud against the leaves. It wasn't a very strong rain but it was still uncomfortable feeling the water batter against Shale's jacket. She wiped her eyes and tried to find any kind of large, industrial building. It might have been more productive to try and ask Edward about where the facility was located but the red-head didn't care much for him shadowing her.

 _'How did I never notice something like this? A giant building can't be that subtle to build. Maybe they've got some kind of secret transport system? But what would they need it for, why waste all that time? Probably something illegal.'_ She mused as she wandered into the forest.

Her reason for spending her time in this miserable weather; mainly curiosity. Shale had seen what the side effects of street drugs had on people and whatever happened to Edward was more than that. Then again, you never know what you can find in the sewers. As bad as Shale had it, she was one of the luckier ones. At least she kept most of her common sense.

' _That's got to be it'_ She smiled as a old broken down house came into view. The windows and door were blocked of with wood and the ones that weren't were smashed. It was actually something she had heard some of the rich kids dare each other to get close to but she never gave much though into them. She grabbed the handle but the door was locked.

' _Should've expected this'_ She rolled her eyes humorously. She grabbed the smaller knife from her boot and jammed it into the lock. Shale didn't actually know how to pick locks but to her it was all just a matter of luck. Eventually she stopped twisting the knife and tried to turn the lock again.

' _click_ '

 _'I probably could've kicked the door down, but why make an unnecessary mess. Besides, if whoever made this building came back for it's contents then they would know someone was inside.'_ She ran inside and made sure to keep the door open in case it locked from the outside. Inside, it was surprisingly dry. There were some tables that were stained and covered shards of glass and the air was thick with dust. She hung her jacket up of a chair to let the water run of. She took a moment to check if her bag and the contents were dry. There wasn't much inside, a lunch pail filled with some bread and fruit, a half empty bottle of water and extra money.

The only thing that caught her attention was a sign of the back wall next to a metal door.

She walked up to get a better look. Reading the sign outloud, struggling to make out the words. "No un-authored pe - persons beyond this point?" She looked back to the door. 'Well, that's totally not obvious at all."

But she would have been better of listening to the warnings.

Inside was a smaller room with three glass tubes filled with some kind of pale liquid, one of which was broken spilling it's contents. Said contents being decaying bodies.

Pieces of there skin were floating inside the tube and one of the bodies eyes were still open, giving Shale the feeling of being watched. The tube that was broken let the body spill onto the ground and there were maggots already crawling inside it's skin.

What disturbed her more was that there was no smell. She knew what rotting meat smell like; a mix of thrown up, garlic, tar and a few drops of cheap perfume. But there was nothing. The only thing she could pick up was something industrial, rotting wood and rusting metal.

Shale tried not to stare at the decaying bodies as she looked around the room. Once she got over the shock there was some pretty useful stuff on the table. There was a corkboard with some old newspaper cutouts and what looks like a diary entry pinned on it. Below was a table covered with something, probably chemical residue. But there was a drawer filled with some old paper, pencils, a few weird vials and some pamphlets.

She tucked the pencils behind her ears and bandana, the appears she'd just read later but as for the mystery juice she wasn't sure what to do with. "Whoevers running this place might come back for these. Then again." She glanced back at the corpse for a moment. At this angle I noticed some markings on the backs of them. Pieces of there skin were floating around the two intact tubes but enough was still attached to be able to make out, numbers?

' _Yea, a 1 and a 6.'_ Though the corpse that was rotting on the ground was to rotten to make out.

" _Whatever the were trying to create, they definitely failed. And whoever that person was probably didn't have the highest moral standards if they were willing to leave there subjects just floating here for anyone to find.'_

Shale stared back to the vials, _They could be used as evidence. 'But they might have payed of the police to keep there mouths shut about this place. Still, I could use it as a bargaining chip for information - make it sound like some kinda drug. Or maybe I could, I dunow, make it into a bomb?'_

" _Wait, Edward had a number on his back. So was he one of the experiments? But what'd someone want with a bunch of grey bodies?"_ The red head decided to figure out everything else back at the treehouse. I closed the door and tried not to think to hard about those bodies, grey, hollowed eyes, I wonder if they- no stop there. Whoever they were, they're gone now.

Shale poked my head out the door and realized that it was now pitch black and it was still raining. ' _Great, It'll be impossible to find my tree again and even if I do, forget about climbing. So I guess I'm sleeping here._

Her jacket was already pretty dry so she just slipped it back on and fell back against the table. Shale was a light sleeper and probably wasn't going to get any rest with all this rain so might as well read those pamphlets. The first thing that caught her eye was a clipping from a news paper. On it were pictures of a fat guy with a black top hat and suit scowling at the photographer in front some kind of station. The captions read " **RAILWAY ON TRACK TO BANKRUPTCY** ". Most of the text was to faded or to small to make out but she could make out a few lines.

 _'Local railway controller; Sir Topham Hatt, has been struggling to maintain his position due to the rising prices in coal because of the fact that almost all of his engines are exclusively steam. While he was not available to comment on this article his secretary told us this. "Currently, Sir Topham is working on a solution. Though he's being rather secretive about it. Still, I trust his judgment" We've asked the drivers about what they think about this situation but there response was confusing. One of them, a fireman named Charlie had this to say; "Look, I don't really care-_

Whatever was after that was to faded to make out so I just tried to piece together what was happening. _'Railways running out of money, some kind of project, this was the project? What were they even doing here?'_

She shuffled through the yellowed papers again. Most of them didn't make much sense to Shale, several formulas, charts with the cost of some mechanical stuff filled with terms Shale didn't even try to understand and something about a **"Transfer Sequence".** It wasn't until she found the diary entry she found something useful.

 _Entry Number 12_

 _Due to a recent boost to our departments research funds it was decided that another facility would be established. Of course I was selected to oversee the transfers of the equipment and made sure to cut any lose threads._

 _As for the shells, they have been 80% rendered and are currently kept on life support until a suitable host is selected. The ones we have in storage currently are two small tank engines, one diesel engine and a front-nose lorry. They have been rather noisy since confinement but nothing that couldn't be fixed._

 _I'm rather curious to see what fruits this may bear. If this trial is successful then we will be permitted to begin transferring the others. Though I question how the Controller will handle the press when they inevitably notice the states of the machines, being that out island is notorious for having the largest collection of living machines._

Shale peiced together what she was reading. Whoever wrote this probably worked on these experiments, a lead scientist perhaps. Though he wasn't smart enough to leave his entry vague enough that the reader would assume it was something vaguely ethical.

 _'So someone was commissioned by the Fat Controller to create shells for his engines in order to lower the cost of running his railroad?'_ Her hand tightened around the hilt of her knife. ' _Great, another rich bastard trying to fill his pockets with pounds with any means necessary. But if them if these experiments were all once engines then that would mean-'_

"Edward was a engine?" Now she could remember why he felt so familiar.


	5. Chapter 5

For most homeless people on Sodor, the railways were both a free range market and a minefield. The shunting yards could hold practically anything you could need and if you got lucky you could even catch a ride in one of the boxcabs. A driver or fireman's open lunch box were easy pickings. But the workers know this to. Though as long as they didn't happen to have a gun you could get away easily. Most of the time.

The sounds of rolling stock, cargo being transferred and workmen shouting almost drowned out the sounds of two pairs of feet hitting the gravel ballast. A burly fireman chased after a younger and more inexperienced Shale who clutched the stolen lunch bag as she tried to lose him in through the shunting yards. It was her first time trying to pickpocket something as big as this and she could have planned this out better but now she just had to get away. Judging by what he was yelling at her, he wouldn't leave her in good condition if he caught her. So just keep running.

Running through the gap between two oil tankers, under the wheels of a empty car and hiding inside a open boxcar. She managed to lose him for a few precious seconds. Taking this time to catch her breath and plan her escape. While she had managed to lose him, she was sure he had seen the direction she ran and would be on top of her if she didn't move soon.

' _Way, way to close, now what? Need to get out of the yard, back to town, forest is safety. Try to make a run for it? To far, tired. Maybe I co-'_

Whatever her thought were they broke as she heard the same voice calling out to her. Her time was up and he was alarmingly close. She needed somewhere to hide until he went away for good. But she'd only have a few seconds to hide once she ran. But outside the boxcar there weren't any good hiding places, just open track. Except a blue tender engine sitting on a nearby siding.

" _Wait, that could work. Sprint and hide somewhere."_ She was about to make an immediate run for it but she took a second glance and hesitated. "Damm, it's a living machine." Shale didn't have much experience with living machines but they couldn't be that bad compared to the guy stalking her now. " _So I guess I'll just take my chance. I could hide in the tender. But would he feel that? Whatever, just run."_

With that, she made a beeline for the blue tender engine. Thankfully, the fireman was checking the previous boxcar and didn't notice her immediately. So while she had her chance she ran across and jumped inside the tender. It was full of coal, obviously, but Shale just buried deeper inside while trying to keep some kind of window open.

Pulling up her shirt to try and filter out the dust she stilled to try and keep andy coal from shaking of and waited for time to pass. It felt like hours but she knew she had to be patient. The fireman would eventually lose interest and probably buy more food at a pub or something.

Oddly, what signaled to Shale that it was safe wasn't any kind of instinct or indicator that the man had left, it was the engine itself calling out to her. Though she didn't realize it at the immediately.

"Umm, hello? I know your scared but it's alright now, Eric's gone."

With a new voice, Shale panicked, expecting the driver or fireman of the engine to yank her out of her hiding spot and kick her of. But when she didn't see anyone walking up to her or feel someone try and pull her out she remembered that the engine she was hiding in was living.

' _He knew I was hiding here? Well that makes sense since I'm technically hiding in him. Why would he help me? Said Eric was gone, Eric was the name of the guy chasing me. Must be nice then. Should I just run? Eric might come back.'_ But Shale never had the chance to talk to a living machine before. Her curiosity won over and she crawled out of the tender and made her way over to the front of the engine.

When she saw the engines face properly for the first time they were both surprised by each other. Shale tried to pick up a conversation. "Umm, hi, engine. Thanks for not calling me out to that guy."

The engines gray face looked down, shocked to see someone so young. "Oh, that was you? What are you doing here? Where are your parents?"

That struck a nerve in Shale, even if the engine didn't mean it. Her response had more venom than they both expected.

Shale rolled her eyes and made a bitter laugh. "Ha, parents. If I had that luxury, do you think I'd be here or are of your kind this ignorant."

The engine was surprised and saddened by her response. From what he knew about people, children were usually very joyful, if a bit cheeky. But this child seemed to be the complete opposite.

"I- I'm sorry but I don't understand. Did something happen to your parents? Are you lost?"

At this point she was just confused. Did he really not understand that she never knew her parents, that she lived on the street? Well that made sense, being a steam engine he probably wasn't the most informed about the darker things humans did that they never saw.

She sighed and looked up with a self-deprecated smile. "You really don't get it do you."

"Umm, no?" The engine really didn't understand this child. She was much more different than other children. And why was she playing in the shunting yards? "But you shouldn't be here. It's to dangerous to play here. I could ask my driver if we could drop you off near a station."

That caught Shale's attention. ' _Free transportation, but riding with strangers. Bad, strangers ask questions. Could always lie, no, don't want to do that. Stretch the truth? Better. Wait-'_

She crossed her arms. "What's the catch?"

The engine raised an eyebrow. "I promise you'll be alright. My driver and fireman are nice people. They wouldn't hurt you. Maybe we could take you to the orphanage."

"Okay, that is an instant no." She knew the engine had the best of intentions, but she'd already tried to stay there. It was almost worse than the streets. The place was owned by some politician and thus, only meant to boost his popularity.

It looked pretty enough, with rose bushes outlining brick walls covered with ivy vines. Inside was there was a simple cream wallpaper with a hardwood floor. However the children's room was much different.

There were a total of 400 wards but only eight total rooms so living arrangements were cramped. There were enough beds for all of them but not all of them were equal in quality. That coupled with the fact that there were no actual sleeping arrangements meant survival of the fittest.

The food was also just as sparse. They were served the bare minimum and what was given was bland and sometimes even rotten. Clothes were also a issue, they weren't much more then sackcloths. If there was ever any social gatherings then they'd use the state of the children to ask for more funds when in reality the owners took them all for them self.

She explained all of this to him and when she was done he looked beyond shocked.

"I, I can't believe that they treat children like that."

"Yea, well believe it. People suck, adult suck even more. I'm surprised most of you engines are so chipper all the time. Given that your seen as no more than property." She shifted on her seat on his buffer beam and leaned up to face him.

The engines face was somber but still smiling. "Well, we live and make due. I can't fight them, none of us can. But the least I can do is make it easier for the others."

This time it was Shales turn to be stunned. "Wow that's, really selfless of you. Uh-" She had just released that she didn't even ask for his name.

He smiled, this time without the shadow. "It's fine, I'm Edward."

"Cool, I'm-" he get to hear she'd say. She glanced backwards and saw something that made her jump of his buffer beam and bolt in the opposite direction.

"Wait! Come back!" Edward called out, but the girl didn't turn around. He saw her disappear behind a line of trucks but when they were moved, she was gone.

"Whatcha see, Edward? Nother' squirrel wandering onto the tracks?" The engine turned to see his driver standing on the rails beside him.

"Oh, uh. Nothing, its fine." He didn't know what to say and he knew he wasn't a good liar. And even if he did know the girls name he didn't thing that they would find her.

His driver was suspicious but didn't press the issue. Instead he simply climbed back into the cab and set of with the train. As they left the yard, Edward kept an eye on for any sign of the red-head girl. But he didn't find any trace of her.

As for Shale herself, she was already on the outskirts of the yard. Steam from the other engines obscured part of the yard but she could still see parts of his chipped blue paint job and the number '2' on his tender.

Edward was a lot nicer then she expected for a living machine. Defiantly better company them most humans, and a whole lot smarter. Though that could be cause he's lives longer then most humans in general. Still, if she had to deal with people like the ones Edward deals with on a daily bases then she'd probably be scrapped in a matter of days.

"Who knew I'd find better advice from a old kettle then my own kind."

:===========:

Shale smiled to herself at the memories. She made her decision, she'd go back to the town and try to find Edward again. If she was lucky he might find him just wandering the alleys, but it was probably more likely that he was taken into police custody if not for indecency they because they were bribed by whoever wanted Edward back. She started to mentally go over the most likely places he might be at when she heard voices ahead.

"Feet are killing me. This is even worse than having wheels. Maybe that place will have shoes?"

"Guys! It's-"

Startled, she dove into the nearest bush, not wanting any attention. Unfortunately what the bush hid was a drop into a small valley and Shale ended up rolling down the side. She ended up at the bottom with at least a dozen new bruises and cuts, covered in dust and stars in her vision. She pulled herself up and leaned against the side of the valley wall while rubbing her eyes and trying to shake the dust of.

Once her vision focused she realized she was in the middle of some part of a railway. She faced a old shed that was in surprisingly good condition and could see the outline of tracks covered in leaves and gravel. Behind the shed was a small river and to the left was a large mountain. All in all it would have made for a great hideout if it wasn't so close to the ground and Shale was rather attached to her tree. That, and she couldn't be bothered to try and bring all that stuff down from there again.

"Ow, that might have been a slight overreaction. Okay, major overreaction" Shale turned around to see that her entrance made a small hole in the foliage. It wasn't large but it was noticeable. "How'm I supposed to get to the town from here?"

Shale started looking and listen for any kind of sound that would indicate she was close to the town. Cars running, people chatting, dogs, anything. Eventually she looked up to see the tip of a street light over the trees. Shale started to shove the bushes out of the way, determined to try and find Edward again. She cringed whenever a stray branch scraped over an open wound but it wasn't the worst pain she experienced.

"C'mon, c'mon, yes!" Her head broke through the leaves and she was able to see the small town. There were a few cars parked on the road side and some shops were just beginning to open. It would have been the perfect time for her to do some raids but that wasn't what she came here for. She broke of from her bush and ran towards the nearest alleyway. There were a few dumpsters but most of them were already cleared out.

Shale pulled out her knife from her belt buckle and slid it into her sleeve to make sure it was hidden. She practised this so if she was snuck up on she could slide out and suprise her attacker and wouldn't end up slitting her wrist. Then she started walking, trying to spot some trace of Edward. She'd planned of sweeping through the outmost parts of the town and gradually circling inwards towards the more dangerous places like the Police Station or the Farmers Market.

"Edward, hey, Eddy! You here?" She whisper-yelled. "Edward, it's Shale! Where the heck are you?" She began to worry, the longer she and Edward stayed out like this the higher the chances of either of them being found by someone they didn't want the attention of. For Shale that meant any street gangs she may have had a run in or for Edward, whoever made him.


	6. Chapter 6

**ToaR Ch 6: (Edit on a later date)**

The sun had already begun to rise and Shale was still searching for Edward. She had already looked through the edge of the town so she started to venture deeper. She pulled out her daggard every now and then whenever she saw another homeless person or thuggish figure glance at her. Shale had a thin frame but she made up for it with her crazed glare. Anyone smart enough would have the sense to leave her alone.

" _Great, been searchin' for half the dam day and nothing to show for it but some scratches and a empty stomach.'_ She frowned and rolled her eyes bitterly. _"But hell, I've already put enough effort into finding this guy and I'm not giving up. Still, there had to be a easier way to find him."_

 _'You could always ask Picks'_ A part of her whispered at the back of her mind. ' _Wait, what? No, no way am I making another deal with him. Hell no.'_

Picks was a street vendor who was know for almost always cheating of the locals money and leaving them poorer than most people on the streets. He was, however, one of the most informed person Shale knew when it came to up to date information. And admittedly, when it came to that he was honest enough.

 _'Well, its either that or pray someone else doesn't get to him first.'_ She stepped out of the alley onto the open street and took a moment for her eyes to adjust. The town was small and since it was early in the morning Shale didn't need to worry about anyone giving her sideways glances. It was the primary reason she stuck to the shadows. Even though she was used to being stared at, the extra attention made her skin crawl.

Shale started to walk towards the general store which was where Picks would set up each day. When she got there she saw him; a bald black man in his late 20's to early 30's wearing a burgundy collared shirt and washed out jeans being pushed out of the doorway by a younger man waving a broom at him. The latter held a small fabric bag with a rugged blue carpet sticking out along with a few supplies. She could hear them shouting at least a block away.

"Alright, alright, I get the message. Still, if the ladies up for a good time she knows where to find m-" Picks was silenced when the store owner threw what looked like a apple at the back of Picks head which caused him to stumble out the doorway. "You know where to call!"

Picks sat cross-legged against the wall and held a dumb grin on his face. Shale rolled her eyes and walked in front of him. "I thought you said never to make a bet you can't win."

Picks looked up and was still smiling at Shale "Ah, just you wait. She'll be back. It happens to everyone." His smile turned into a lazy smirk. "Though I don't suppose that's what your here for?"

"I'm looking for information." Shale said bluntly.

"Always to the point." Picks pulled something out of his sleeve and it was a pair of granola bars. "Hungry? Us vermin need to stick together."

Shale, as usual, was skeptical. She crossed her arms and didn't reach out. "Given what you've been dealing, I wouldn't touch anything you have."

"Hey, I wash my hand. I didn't add anything, I swear." He began to unwrap the first bar and held out the other to Shale. "But if your company has a price then, consider this payment."

"Then it's a good thing I won't be here long." She shot back. Picks just sighed and started eating the other bar.

"So-" Picks started with his mouth half full "-whaddya need? There's a rumble out near that abandoned warehouse if your interested. I've got a bettin' pool set up there."

"You already know my answer Picks."

"True, but you've been missed. 'Sides, there's good money to be made"

"As if that's where you get yours from." She muttered "Anyways, I'm looking for someone."

Shale stood up and looked down at Picks. " He's a few inches taller then me, shaggy black hair, no shirt, number 2 tattooed on his back and grey skin."

"Wait... what?" Picks perked up when Shale mentioned that last point. " _Grey skin_? Seriously?"

Shale hardened her stare.

"Okay, your serious." Picks raised his arms in a 'calm down' gesture. "I haven't seen anyone like that. Where'd you find him?"

She was beginning to grow impatient. "Does it matter? Have you heard of him or not!"

Picks scratched that back of his bald head apologetically. "Sorry, I don't have anything. What's his name?"

"His name is Edward." Shale hissed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "If you don't have anything useful to me then I won't bother staying here."

Picks just laughed at the younger girls outburst. "You haven't changed at all." He stood, smiling at the younger girl. "Stubborn as stone and twice as solid."

Shale slaped his hand away and stepped back "And you haven't changed enough." Her expression hardened again. "But you still don't have anything useful so I'll just keep searching for Eddy myself.

"If you need to find me, don't."

She started to walk away, leaving Pick to wonder about her choice of words.

She scanned the open streets, hoping to see Edward huddled on the side of a building but so far she found nothing. Shale did however, did notice some yelling coming from an incoming alleyway. Deciding that she may as well investigate, she saw four boys, two about her age and two slightly younger, all of them dressed in fine clothing. They were circled around a pile of old cardboard boxes that appeared to be... _shaking?_

"What was that thing?"

"How the hell should I know!"

"Let's get a better look!"

Shale made sure to step quietly, using the lack of light to her advantage. She ducked behind any kind of debris so she could get as close a look as possible. If it wasn't Edward then she'd have an easier time escaping. If it was Edward, then she would have the element of surprise on her. Besides, how many other red-heads do you expect to jump you in a alleyway?

She peaked over the top of the dumpster she used as cover. Now the boys were about two to three feet in front of her and she had a clearer view of the boxes. Through a crack she could make out something that had the texture of fabric and if she squinted near the top she could find wisps of dark black hair. It was enough for Shale to think it was Edward.

She started to plan out what to do next. But something, she didn't know what, caused one of the boys to turn there head around. She ducked immanently, hoping she wasn't seen but what he said next made her cuss silently.

"Guys, I thinks there's somethin' else back here."

These were the times she cursed her unique hair colour. Any other colour would have been better better, black, brown, even blond she could hide to some degree but nooo. It was red, she had to get stuck with red. Granted, it was a more rusted colour but it was still obvious. She could hear one of the boys footsteps as she sheathed her knife in one of her belt buckles, that would have been overkill, and readied her fist.

When the boys frame came into view she jumped out and aimed a punch at his face. He looked shocked before falling backwards into a wall. It wasn't hard enough to knock him our but he'd be disoriented for a few minutes. The rest of the boys turned towards the noise, faces first showing surprise then anger. Before any of them had a chance to say anything, Shale stared down the remaining three. "If you don't want to end up like your friend, then I'll give you a chance to leave."

One of the younger ones had to be held back by the other two who were obviously angry, but didn't want to fight someone they didn't need to. Shale took this as defiance rather that reluctance and let the tip of her knife shine out from her sleeve. "But if you don't. Then just know I was holding back."

That got a clearer reaction. Each of them back away slightly, eyeing the knife. Shale sidestepped out of the way and extended her had as if she opened a door. Her head jerked towards the entrance of the alley, meaning for them to hurry. Two of them ran out immediately but the one they had to hold back stopped near the boy Shale had knocked down and slung his arm over his back.

 _'Brothers probably.'_ She watched them leave the alley and turned back to the pile of boxes. ' _Thankful I don't have to deal with that. Then again- '_ She stepped forward and crouched. Now she could see a pair of coal black eyes looking up at her, filled with a mix of confusion and surprise. _'-now get to deal with you now.'_


	7. Chapter 7

**Just a note so you don't get confused. This takes place in Edwards 3rd person, after Shale gave him directions to the town.**

* * *

Once Edward left the red haired girls place he went in the direction that she gave him, walking until he found the dirt road. While walking, Edwards head filled with thoughts and questions about, well, everything. ' _That girl was really, um, not nice but not mean. She showed me where the place where more people live-what's it called? Um, a town! Right, that's where she said I could get someone to help me. But why didn't she want to help me? She called me something, what was it? I don't think it was very nice. But I need to find that town to help my other friends in the tubes, are they my friends?'_

After that last thought, his head started to hurt again. It was dull enough to ignore but he took a moment to lean against a tree and wait for his mind to clear. These headaches weren't as annoying as they were confusing. He couldn't figure out what triggered them, and whatever it triggered didn't feel like pain. It was more similar to a tugging motion. To take his though of it he went back to looking at his surroundings.

' _Tree, trees, trees make locos, no-that's not right.'_ He frowned to himself at the though of logs and locos in the same sentence, though for the life of him he couldn't understand why. Occasionally, he's turn around to see in the red-haired girl was following him. Each time he saw nothing, but he did manage to get a glimpse of an owl at one point.

He was looking up, trying to spot the sky through the trees. It felt new and exiting to him, being able to walk around on his own. He was starting to get lost on his tangent when he spotted the owl. It was perched on the arm of a pine tree, preening it's feathers. He took a moment to admire the avian when it let out a surprising hoot. The noise shocked him and he ended up falling on his rear. When he looked back up he didn't see the owl.

The mental tugging feeling came back again. Now, for whatever reason, he expected a fog to start rolling in from nowhere. He shook the dust of himself and kept walking. The air started to cool and he started to shiver. Looking back up to the sky he saw the sky turn a mix of yellow, dark amber and purple. For a moment he forgot his cold and just stared up at the sky. Then he noticed dark shadows at the end of the bright colours, reminding him of his mission.

 _'Help, get help, don't stop-keep going. I can do this'_ Soon he found the dirt road and started running down the path. When he started to see light breaking through the trees he knew he was close. The trees opened up and he could see the houses and shops of the small town the girl mentioned. Smiling to himself he had to remember to thank her if he ever found her again. He stepped out of the forest and took in all the new sights. This town was so much more different than the forest he woke up in.

Edward started to walk towards the small town while his mind wandered again. _'Different, this looks really different. Is different good? I guess, some-ish? No color though, all dull, boring. The forest smelled better to. Smelled different to, but nicer. Where are the people? Don't people live in houses, but I don't live in a house? But am I a person? I don't think so.'_ Unfortunately, while deep in though he passed through a road without knowing and a car happened to be passing through at a very high speed. Edward didn't notice it until he heard the loud honking noise and the passengers screaming. Immediately he ran out of the way but ended up tripping on the sidewalk and scraping his arms. While sitting up the passengers of the car stepped out, angrily yelling at each other for not paying attention.

Three men stepped out of the car, each of them dressed in black jackets. Once they got out two of them started to cuss at each other while one checked the front of the car. During all this Edward just stood there, confused. But when he got to his feet, that's when he finally gained the trios attention. Each of them were silenced for an awkward minute until Edward broke the silence.

"Um, hello. My name is Edward and, uh, I need your help pl-"

"What the hell is wrong with you?

Edward looked genuinely confused. "Umm, what do you mean?"

Each of the guys looked at him like he was crazy. "You freakin skin is grey!? What are you on man!"

"I'm not high! I'm standing on the ground, and could you just listen to me! My friends are trapped in these glass tubes and I'm the only one who managed to escape but I think whoever put me in there took away my memories and I need someone to help me rescue them or they might die!"

Edward yelled at each of the guys who then looked at each other- and started to laugh. "Hahahahaha-oh man-hahaha, what the hell are you on dude?! Seriously, you must be trippin' balls now!"

Edward are more confused than ever now. He felt sad, angry, insulted, and probably something else he couldn't name. ' _Didn't they know I'm serious? Why would I even make something like that up?'_

One of the boys managed to stop laughing and placed a hand on Edwards shoulder. "Listen, one druggie to another, please tell me you've got a shot of whatever your on man! Hell, we'll even tip you our stores just tell us who gave you th-"

 _"WILL YOU SHUT UP!"_ Edward threw the other boys arm of his shoulder. "If you won't help me then I'll find someone else!"

And with that he started sprinting away from the streets and towards whatever direction he happened to be heading. One of the guys tried to catch him and grab his arm but Edward shoved him to the ground with a surprising amount of force. The boy skidded across the ground while his friends ran ahead trying to catch him. While running, he tried to lose them in an alleyway but ended up being cornered. Both of the boys telling him to 'spill the goods', whatever that ment.

Somewhere around this time it started to rain but he just ignored it. Edward pressed himself into the corner trying to look as small as possible. "Please, if you don't want to help then just leave me alone."

"Just give us the name of the dealer and then we'll leave you alone. So who is it? Rave, Maxwell? C'mon, spill it!" One of the boys who had tried to get closer. Edward snapped his eyes closed, not knowing any of the people he mentioned. He started to shake his shoulders angrily. "Dammit, tell us who it was!" He raised his arm, about to slap him.

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Suddenly, the boy felt a sharp pain in his middle and kneeled over a second later. Edward, scared, had thrown a punch directly towards his stomach and knocked all the air out of his lungs. Edward and the remaining boys eyes went wide. Both gangster looked shocked.

"W- what the hell man? What are you!" Again, Edwards mind went into overdrive and he sprinted back out of the alley way. Now the rain started to fall heavily and he finally noticed it soaking his frame and new pants. He felt tired but he kept running until he leaned against the side of a building with a small overhanging cloth keeping a small set of tables and chairs dry.

He took a moment to catch his breath and try to shake some water out of his hair when a woman with blond hair and a waitress outfit noticed him and started yelling at him. "Hey! We don't give handouts, get of our property! Shoo, shoo!"

Edward just stood there, feeling tired and saddened. Couldn't she see that he was exhausted? "Please, just let m-"

The lady just rolled her eyes and before he could finish explaining she pushed him back out into the rain. "Just get out of here. I don't want to clean of these things again." She turned her back and started wiping down the tables. He turned and started walking, looking back to see if the lady would change her mind. She didn't.

 _'Why are the people here so mean? They ask me weird thing, they don't let me rest. Is this why the red haired girl didn't want to live with other people? I wouldn't either if they were all like that. But I need to get out of the rain. Rain, red hair, water, lots of water, steam, red is fire and vain, so red and water makes steam? No, fire and water.'_ Again while walking he wandered back into a alley where, to his luck, there were no other people. There were a couple old cardboard boxes that could make a good shelter so he tried to stack them around him. Afterwards he managed to block out most of the rain and it was almost impossible to see his dark body. The only downside was that his pants were still a little wet but that didn't bother him.

0========================0

When Edward woke, the rain had finally stopped and the morning sun had evaporated most of the water but his pants were still damp. Shaking his head to try and clear out the fog and water from his head he noticed the sound of footsteps in puddles.

"Are you sure this is the right way? I've heard some of the boys talkin-"

"Oh shut up. Whatever's in this alley we can take it."

At the sound of more voices Edward reflexively tried to shrink back into his box fort. The voices were male, but also much higher pitched than the older boys that chased him. Still, this time he decided not to try and ask them out in the open. They might try to chase him again for, what was it, 'the goods'? Whatever that meant. So instead he pushed out some of his boxes, decided to try and call out to them. Hoping they were nicer people.

"H-hello?"

Immediately, each of the boys whipped towards the sound. The biggest one walked infront of the other two and yelled. "Yo, who's there! C'mon out man, we don't want trouble!"

This was mostly a show of bravado but Edward didn't know that. "Um, I don't think you want that." He tried to poke his head out but he knocked of one of the boxes and exposed part of his face. One of the boys freaked out when he saw his unnatural skin tone.

"What was that thing?"

He shrunk back into his corner. He didn't want to show more of himself with there reaction.

"How the hell should I know!"

One of the boys moved past the biggest of the three and tried to inch closer to the box. His friends grabbed his sleeve and hissed in his ear.

"What are you doing? We don't know what's down there!"

He just rolled his eyes. "Then let's get a better look!" He started walking towards Edwards hiding spot, noting the pile of boxes.

"Hey, you in there? I'm not gonna hurt you. Promise."

Edward was surprised by the boys kindness. He didn't know how to react. ' _Maybe he is nice. But I don't think he will help me. Maybe I could go back to the girl? And his friends might be kind of mean.'_

"My name i-is Edward. Who are you?" He decided to open his eyes to try and look at the boy. He had black hair like himself but it was shorter, with a cleaner cut.

The boy smiled and reached out to him. "Heya, I'm-"

He was about to say his name when the the biggest of the boys suddenly fell onto a wall and knocked his head into wall. Edward couldn't see what happened but he definitely heard who it was.

"If you don't want to end up like your friend then I'll give you a chance to leave."

 _Fire, no, red girl? Why is she here? Did she do something? What's happening, is she here for me? Where are the boys? Did she make them go away? But they were my friends, well, not really. But I liked them, they weren't mean. Is red girl mean? Um, sort of? She didn't like my hug. So is she going to help me now? Why did she change her mind?_

At this moment, both Shale and Edwards shared the same though. _'What are we going to do now?'_

* * *

 **Ahhh, my mind died halfway through this so I ran out if ideas. Also, I'f you didn't read the notice, I'll be gone on a Vacation to the Philippines for three weeks. So yea, I'm about to go now as I'm writing this and well. Bye =)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Uploads nothing for about (insert number here) months.**

 **Suddenly uploads at 11pm.**

 _This feels so weird'_ Shale thought as she tried to coax Edward out of his box fort. Shale had never had a reason for kind words other that flattering storekeepers into lowering there prices or to gain the sympathy from strangers Surprisingly, being kind for the sake of someone else's well-being was much more difficult.

"Hey Edward, it's me! Look-red hair!" She shook her head in front of the boxes to try and catch his attention. "Those guys are gone now. You can come out."

Just in case, she looked back to check in anyone else was following her. She would have sheathed her knife but years of unprovoked fights made holding her blade second nature. Gladly, the boys didn't come back.

Still, he kept himself pressed against the back wall of his fort. Pretending to be nice was already grading on Shale since she wasn't getting anywhere.

She scanned the box for Edward's face. "Okay I'm just going to be direct cause we're clearly not getting anywhere. Long-ish story short; I think I might have found out what happened to your friends."

That caught his attention. "You did!"

The joy in his voice almost made her forget what she saw and what she had to say. But it did help her to form a more genuine smile. "Yea, so if you come out. I can tell you." _Also to see what those bastards might have done to you._

There was a slight shift in the pile but Edward still didn't come out. Shale only managed to get a better view of his shaking frame, from fear, cold or hunger, she couldn't tell. He looked through the hole and saw Shale crouched down in front of him, knife still in hand. When he saw that, his smile faded and he shrunk back again.

Now Shale started to get annoyed. But then she noticed that she was still holding her knife which she immediately re-sheathed.

"Oh right, sorry. But I swear those guys arn't gonna hurt you anymore."

This surprised Edward, didn't the girl see what she did? "Huh? They didn't hurt me! You hurt them first! Why did you do that?"

"They didn't, oh." Her anger changed from guilt from her actions. Aggression or apathy were her primary reactions to similar situations though after hearing the rest she wondered how many of those unnecessary fights she may have started.

She added weakly. "I thought they were hurting you."

"But they weren't! Why didn't you just talk to them?" Edward stood to his full height which was at least a head taller then herself.

Shale took a deep breath and tried to explain herself. "Look Edward, I'm sorry for what I did but that was the only way I knew how to make sure you were safe. I didn't want to take the chance that they were hurting you. And even if they weren't, I didn't need to let them see you and panic. One of them could have called the police and then who knows where you'd end up."

'Probably sent back to whoever made you. And I'm sure you wouldn't want that judging from what they did to your friends.'

Edward seemed to calm down after that. But he was still confused "Okay, but then why do you stay here if you need to hurt other people?"

'Bless his ignorant soul.' She sighed inwards. "It's because this is all I've got. Either this, or the crap foster care system."

"Is it really that bad?"

"From what I've heard, yea. Anyways none of this is relevant. We should go." And with that she grabbed Edwards arm and started to lead him out of the alley.

"But what about my friends?" Edward asked.

'Crap, I almost forgot.' Shale really didn't want to talk about what she saw but Edward deserved some closure.

Turning briefly she added "I'll tell you once we get somewhere safe. Let's get out of here before we actually get mugged."

:==========:

It was already mid morning so avoid any extra stares, Shale stuck to the outermost alleyways and any remaining shadows. Anyone that did happen to cross there path received a hard stare from the former and occasionally thumbed the hilt of her knife.

Edward didn't seem to notice the attention but occasionally he did see groups of girls eying them. He didn't know why though, so he asked Shale.

"Shale, why are those other girls staring at me?" He gestured to the closest group who were giggling and pointing in his direction.

"Okay, now if we're gonna blend in you-" She poked his bare chest playfully "need some new clothes."

Edward looked down at his soaked and shrunken pants, confused. "Um, why? Isn't this enough."

She just rolled her eyes after his comment "No, no it is not. Some guy with grey skin and a giant number 2 printed on his back, yea. You'll totally blend in."

 _'Not to mention your a walking eye candy.'_ Obviously she didn't add that last part. Both in part because he wouldn't understand it and it would have been incredibly awkward to explain.

"Here, take this for now." Shale removed her jacket and asked him to sit down.

Shales jacket was already far small for her so she just draped it onto his back like a cape and tied it loosely around his neck.

'That really didn't do much but at least that tattoo is covered.' She stood up and motioned for him to follow.

'Where was that clothing store again?,

"Umm, Shale?"

"Yea?" She turned to see Edward fidgeting with the loose knot that tied the jacket around his neck. 'Did I make him nervous? Maybe he doesn't like something around his neck. But it's the only thing I could think of until we find something that fits. Hope he doesn't lose that, It was a pain to try and save up for that.'

"Are you cold?" Edward asked.

She was taken aback by some thing so simple."What, no. I'm fine. C'mon, there's a store ahead that might have something." Besides, since it was around early Spring she wouldn't be in danger of hypothermia but there was still a chill to the air. It was just uncomfortable, that was all.

When the pair walked inside they were immediately greeted with a skeptical look from the cashier. No surprise there. Shale kept her hands in her pants pockets and lead Edward to the small clothing section.

The store wasn't the most popular but there were still some people shopping which meant more people staring. This time, Edward took notice and stuck closer to Shale. The later not caring for the extra looks. Besides, there was no way a scruffy, underfed teen with a man obviously older then her wearing next to nothing and a glaringly inhuman skin tone wouldn't attract attention.

When they made it to the small corner with the clothes Shale started to pick through the selection. The majority of chooses were simple black pants, some T-shirts and a few sweaters. She didn't know Edwards exact size or preference (though she made an effort to make a majority of the choices blue) then brought him over to a small pile of clothes she made near the change room.

"So, here's some suff that might be your size. Pick out what you want and try it on in the change room." He shuffled through the pile and picked out some clothes and walked over to the change room. It took a moment, but Edward managed to figure out how to open the door. Shale made sure to stand by the door in case he forgot to lock it.

Shale took the time to look through her bag for any extra cash. She pulled out some bills and a few coins. 'Dam, that only about ten bucks.' She folded the bills and placed the coins in carefully. Then she undid the knot holding her bandana and unfolded the fabric to reveal at least 20 more dollars and a pair of razor blades.

She could actually buy a shirt and maybe some pants but then she probably wouldn't have any money left. Then again, it's not like she needed that much and if it came down to it she could always just raid an open clothesline.

'I could probably hide the pants in my bag. The shirt might be harder. Maybe I could wear it under my jacket-'

"Shale, I'm done."

"Kay, just give me a second." She re-folded her bandana and made sure that the money wasn't poking out. After tying it behind her head. She opened the door to the change room.

The room was scattered with most of the clothes turned inside out or only partially unfolded. The clothes he did choose was a blue polo with red stripes and some simple black pants. There weren't any shoes in the store but she could probably dumpster dive those some later.

"Good, at least you look a little normal now. Turn around, let me check the price tag." She noted the number, twenty bucks. 'Seriously!? Twenty bucks for one shirt? Geez, no wonder there are so many homeless.' Then she noticed something. "Wait, you're wearing the shirt inside out."

"Oh, is that bad?" Edward asked.

"No, no, not really." He stoped but she added "But it would look better if you wore it right."

"Oh, okay." He took it of completely and held it out to Shale. "How do I wear it properly?"

"Just turn it inside out. I'll do it." She pulled the shirt right side out and handed it back.

Then she checked the tag for the pants. They were harder to find but after a bit of awkward searching she found it near the cuffs. The pants itself were about ten dollars so that was a small blessing.

"So, this is your final choice?" She stepped back.

"Yes sir." He nodded.

"Wait, sir?" She didn't expect him to be so formal with her. 'Must be instinct to him I guess. Poor Ed.'

"I-I mean, uh." Edward was unsure where that came from but it felt right. That's how he was supposed to address his controlle- wait, no! No,no,no,no, not again. Not him again.

"Edward? Edward! Are you alright?" Shale started to panic. Edward just started mumbling 'no' over and over again while slowly sinking back into the corner of the dressing room.

'Is he having a panic attack? Can engines even have panic- no duh he can, he's having one right now. Help him! How?' She scrambled to try and think of some way to comfort him. She tried to grab his shoulders but when she did he ripped her hands of and just curled in further. 'Okay don't do that.'

Instead she kneeled down to his level and tried to her him to look at her. But made sure not to touch him. "Edward? Hey, look at me. Your safe. I won't hurt you, not-" 'not like that prick, Topham Hatt' She caught herself before she said his name. It probably wouldn't help.

"-not like anyone who might have hurt you before."

Edward kept hugging his knees, mumbling to himself. His head did tilt up slightly but his eyes were still shut tight. "Not again, not again, not again, please, don't leave me there again. Please, not again."

"Eddy, I'm not gonna leave you. I'm still here." She shifted forward but still didn't touch him. Tilting her head, she ruffled her hand through her hair. "See? Still here, red hair and all."

That gained a response. But not what she expected "James?"

'Who's James? Wait, I think he was one of the engines. Yea, the vain one, number 5. But if he was one of the engines then that means- oh no.'

"I- I'm sorry, but James isn't here now. I'm Shale, remember?" Edward moved from holding his knees to grabbing at his head like he had a headache.

"Red, James was red, Shale is red to? But Shale isn't a engine? Am I a engine? But I'm not a engine. What am I then?" He voice cracked slightly as he voiced his thoughts.

This gave Shale an idea.

"Edward, Edward please look at me." Gently she moved one of her hand and laid it on his. He flinched hard but didn't pull away. "I know what happened to you. You were a engine, but someone- I'm not sure who- but whoever they were turned you and your friends into humans." She paused "Well, at least mostly human. I don't know why but I don't think they expected you to survive so they left you for dead, but you escaped."

He looked up at Shale, his eyes were tinted red slightly and there were wet lines running down his face. "A-and my friends? Do you think they'll survived to?"

Shale breathed in deep before answering. "I found one of the labs where they turned you into humans. Th- there were these tubes and they looked like they were left in there for a long time. I'm sorry, but there's a chance you might be one of the only one to survive whatever they put you through."

Edward just stared at her, looking for any sign that she was joking. But it was the truth, wether they liked it or not. He started to cry harder now and Shale could feel him shaking. For a moment she though about leaving him alone to grieve but she decided against it. He'd been alone for long enough.

Instead she simply squeezed his hand and rubbed small circles into his back. She tried to think of something optimistic. Defiantly her strong suit.

"Hey, look on the bright side. Since they think that the experiments don't work then they won't try it on anymore machines so some of your friends might still be alive. Besides, maybe it did work for a few of them, your still here."

Edward didn't say anything but he nodded slightly. They stayed there, one trying to comfort the other? The store owner would probably be suspicious but neither of them cared.


	9. Chapter 9

There moment was disturbed when they heard a loud banging on the front door followed by someone yelling on the other side.

"Yo, you done in there!" Shale was about to reply but the door was already opening.

'Dam, forgot to lock it again.' She stood up and made sure to stand in front of Edward to block the persons view of him. The person in question was a girl a few years older then Shale. She wore a white shirt with ripped sleeves and jagged black text saying "Destroy". She had two necklaces, one black studded choker and a silver lock and chain.

'An emo then. By herself, might have some friends waiting for her. Seemed confused, me or Edward?'

Both of them stared each other down. Shale broke it first. "Look, I'll leave soon. Just give me a moment."

The Emo girl raised an eyebrow but didn't leave. The street rat kept her gaze firm and stepped closer into the other girls personal space. Anything she could do to keep focus on her, but she saw her eyes shift to Edward anyways.

"Oh, another one of those mates" What the girl said and how she said it immediately set of several alarms. She said it so casually, no shock, no surprise.

'Another, implying others. There are other surviving experiments!?'

"Wait!" She grabbed the other girls shoulder. "You know where the others are?"

She raised an eyebrow at her question and pulled her hand off but didn't outright leave. "Yea, your mates said something bout a cafe. Right down the street. Can't miss it."

"Yea, I know the place. Thanks, we got side-tracked." She nodded back towards Edward. The other girls expression turned distasteful and Shale already knew why. Her ratty clothes and Edwards uncomfortable state didn't exactly paint a pretty picture without context. "And no, I don't mean like that. He had a panic attack. I'm just a friend."

"Oh, right." She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. She left the room and closed the door. Shale made sure to lock it this time.

The red head sat down next to the former engine. "Hey Edward, you ready to go now?"

"Yes." He answered. Shale stood and offered a hand out to Edward. He didn't take it, instead he stood up and started to collect the spare clothes around the room.

"You know, you don't need to clean up. There are people who do that." She said smiling.

"Oh, it just feels like the right thing." He left the clothes on the bench. Shale noticed how they weren't folded (not like he would know how) but were instead sorted by types. Shirts, pants and some of the sweaters.

Something about Edward taking initiative like that struck her with guilt. "Actually yea, I'll help you out." She started to gather the rest of the clothes and started to fold.

"Here, I'll handle it, you can go sit down or something." And Edward did have a point, it did feel better to do do this.

As for the later, he kept gathering the clothes and creating separate piles. Since Shale didn't protest again he assumed it would be alright to help but he'd leave her to do what she was doing. There weren't many clothes so it was fairly quick.

"Is there anything else you need to do?" He asked

"Edward, it's alright. You can just relax, maybe browse around the store if you want. I could probably pick something up for you." And by 'pick something up' she meant 'smuggle it into her bag and shoplift it when nobody was looking'. Though part of her did wish she could pay for it.

"Are you sure?"

"If you feel better staying here, then that's alright too." She folded the last pair of pants and laid it on top of the others. She grabbed her jacket and pulled it back on. "Anyways, We can go now. C'mon. Let's get something to eat."

"Eat? But don't you have to give more money for that?" Shale held the door open and let Edward walk through first.

"Yea, I'll cross that bridge when I get there." She noted the the emo girl was still sitting on the bench and looked up once they walked out.

"I swear, where did you blokes get your makeup done? It's brilliant." She said

Shale just shrugged. "Sorry, trade secret." She made a lock and key motion over her lips for emphasis.

"C'mon, one rocker to another. I won't leak it to a soul." She insisted.

 _'So she's a punk fan. That could be useful. Hopefully that would mean other people would assume the same._ _Also persistent, better give her an answer then.'_

"Trust me, you don't wanna know-" _You really don't. "_ -it takes forever to wash of. Not worth the effort. I've gotta catch up to my... friends anyways." She left before the girl could reply. Edward followed close behind, but he turned to give a brief wave and smile at the girl who waved back awkwardly.

While walking up to the counter Shale passed by a small jewelry rack and stopped when something caught her eye. On a silver chain was a cloud-shaped charm with a number two carved into the middle.

' _Perfect.'_ They weren't in view of the cashier yet so she discreetly reached out carefully and grabbed the chain so it didn't rattle the others and hid it in her jackets sleeves. Edward also didn't seem to notice as well, but it was for the better.

Once they were in view of the counter, the red head pulled the money out of her bandana. The cashier took the money but frowned.

"Are you wearing the products your buying?" She said slowly.

"Yea, I already counted. Bout' thirty bucks total." Said Shale. "You can check again if you want to."

He did. Shale hoped that he wouldn't but it didn't matter. She could stiff afford this anyways.

"Sorry, your about ten bucks short."

Shale just shrugged. "Don't worry, I've still got some money left. Just gimme a sec." She set her bag down on the ground and started to fish out the billfold. Shale pulled them out but not before letting the silver chain fall from her sleeve and into her bag.

"Here." she set the money on the counter. "This should be enough."

He took the bills without question. And just because she could, Shale nicked two packs of candy from a nearby shelf before speed walking out in case the cashier noticed.

As they walked to the cafe down the street Shale tucked the candy in her pocket and fished out the silver chain. She unwrapped one of the bars and held the other out to Edward.

"What is that?" He pointed at the bar. It wasn't anything fancy, just regular chocolate.

"You can have some. It's called chocolate, see." Shale bit of the tip and held it in her mouth and stuffed the rest in her bag.

"Oh yea, there's something else to. Here." She held out the necklace.

"I'm sorry, but whatever happened to you is probably permanent. I didn't know if you'd want this but I though you'd want something to remind you that you're still you. Nobody can change that."

 _'Woo, motivation, happiness. How long do you think that'll last for._ _Oh quit being a pessimist and enjoy the damn moment.'_

 _"_ Wow, all this for me?" He let his fingers trace the charm but didn't take it.

"Yea, and before you ask why it's because you deserve something to smile about." She undid the latch holding it together "Turn around. I'll put it on."

She had to stand on her toes but she managed to draw the chain around his neck and reattached the latch. When Edward turned he was smiling for the first time Shale had met him.

"Thank you for taking care of me. I wish I could make it up to you somehow." He lifted his arms, going for a hug but stopped.

Shale sighed "Ahh, screw it. C'mere you old kettle." She opened her arms as a invitation and let Edward pull her into a slightly-crushing hug.

When he let go she took a moment to catch her breath. "Wow, remind me to never get on your bad side."

"Oh sorry, did I-"

"Don't worry I'm fine." said Shale "The cafe's around the corner. There are some people that I've got to meet here."

 _'And by any chance you'll want to meet them to.'_


	10. Chapter 10

Walking up to the cafe, Shale had to decide how to make her approach. She'd visited the cafe before and didn't leave on the best of terms, so that was a problem. And she didn't know how Edward would react to seeing more of his, um, fellow have-been living machines (again, she had to change that name). Most likely another panic attack, and that was the last thing both of them needed.

So instead she resolved to only go in if she saw any other people like Edward. She's handel the introductions afterwards. Walking up to the window she looked inside. So far it was just the everyday patrons. A grumpy old man reading the news paper, a few teenagers skipping classes and the odd couple or two.

But it was the group of six boys tucked near the back that caught her eye. Each of them had coal black hair (except for one who had a odd streak of white that reminded her of a skunk). And though most of there clothes covered their skin she could see that it was dark grey.

'Found you.' She smiled and glanced back to Edward who was shuffling on the spot while fiddling with the charm on his necklace. 'Should I just go in and bring Edward with me? I don't want him wandering of in public. They'll probably be able to tell that he's one of them. That might help me win there trust. But what'll happen to us after that?'

Shale didn't deny that she did enjoy Edwards company. It was like having a little brother at some times, which was ironic considering that he was older than her by a large margin. Part of her wanted to just point Edward in their direction and let this all fall behind her. But she also knew that they wouldn't last long on the run. They most likely be captured again and forced to work as slaves. And she knew what that felt like, if on a smaller scale.

So she stuck decided to stick with them out of some vague sense of duty and emotional attachment. 'Now look where you are. Hey, being selfish was what got them into this mess. Don't sink to their level. And for the record, those types of people are part of the reason I'm here in the first place.'

"Hey Eddie?" said Shale

"Yes?" He said. He was still smiling and Shale couldn't help but smile to.

"I'll be blunt about this, I think I might have found some of the other engines from the experiments." Shale braced herself for his reaction.

Edward went silent for a few moments before he responded. "Are your certain that they really were engines?"

"Yea, grey skin and floppy black hair. Pretty sure they fit the bill." She flicked a strand that fell in front of his face and both of them giggled. "C'mon, let's introduce ourselves."

She motioned for him to follow and they walked inside. One of the boys at the head of the table, the one wearing a red shirt and leather jacket peeked up and was visibly shocked. The others began to notice and his reaction rippled through the group. But they didn't make any sudden moves. Instead, talking to each other in hushed voices.

Shale pretended not to notice and drew up a chair for her and Edward next to the group. A waitress was walking by and her expression read as 'Great, not this again' to Shale.

She knew that it was probably directed at her since homeless people did tend to congregate around places like this to try and steal some scraps.

Before she walked closer Shale called out. "I'm just here to meet someone. I don't want any trouble."

The waitress still looked suspicious but she just walked pass them. Shale turned back to Edward who look seemed to be alright so far. She decided now was as good time as ever to introduce herself. She kicked her feet up on the chair beside her and faced the other living machines. (Demi-Humans? That might work.) To her surprise, all six of them were looking back at her.

Her hand flicked towards the boy at the front of the table. "So, I assume your Skarloey?"

Shale noted his hand curl briefly into a fist. "How do you know my name?"

Shale rolled her eyes. "Duh, the jacket." She pointed at the patch on his left arm that had 'Skarloey' written on with yellow letters outlined with black.

One of the boys face palmed at this but Skarloey kept his face neutral. "What do you want?"

"Hey, hey, I'm on your side. If I wanted something out of this do you think I'd bring him with me?" She pointed over to Edward who was now facing the others. "This is Edward, I found him near my hideout. I assume you both know each other."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Skarloey broke the silence. "Edward?"

Edward stopped watching his surroundings and stared back at him. "Yes? Did we know each other?" He said.

One of the others spoke up this time. The one with the orange dress shirt and tie. "What? How come you don't- oh." He paused to look down at his hands. "I suppose you wouldn't."

"Guess this calls for a roll call." Skarloey said. "You already know me, that's Renneas, Rusty, Duncan, Peter Sam and Falcon." He pointed to each of them as he listed them of.

Edwards eyes widened and Shale knew what was coming. He groaned and rubbed his forehead. Skarloey instinctively reached out but Shale grabbed his hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked "Can't you see he's hurting?"

"He's remembering." said Shale, "Listen, whatever they did to turn you into this, didn't work completely on Edward. He's lost parts of his memories but they can be triggered by familiar things, places, objects, whatever. Anyways, its not the best idea to touch him when he's like this. Just give him a moment and he'll calm down."

"Yea, and why should we trust you?"

"I'm sorry, Duncan, was it?" She glanced over to the boy with the mohawk. "I could've just left him to die and gone on with my day. But I went out of my way to help him out and buy some clothes, which cost me my entire emergency cash reserve and half of my afternoon. I know you guys don't exactly trust humans, neither do I. But

None of them said anything after that. Shale took this as a positive sign and looked back to Edward.

"Hey, hey, Eddie. Look at me, tell me three things you can see." said Shale

"You." He said quietly "Floor, Chair."

"Good, you remember why we're here?" she asked

"Yes, yes, I remember you now." He looked up to face the others. "You were the narrow gauge engines, right?"

"Ah, yes. But how much can you recall?" Said Skarloey

"Not much. Just small pieces, here and there. But you were all pretty old, even compared to me." He gave them all a cheeky look

"Oh come on, we're not that old." exclaimed Peter Sam. This got some odd looks from some of the nearby patrons.

"Would you shut up, Peter!" Falcon hissed "We're not supposed to talk about that."

"I'm with him on this. Even with normal clothes, none of you really pass for humans." Shale looked down to their empty plates. "Do you even have money? What are you gonna do, Dine and Dash?"

"Well, yes. But I still don't feel good about this." said Rusty

"Don't worry bout it. You can get away with it, as long as you don't make it a habit or they'll won't let you in anymore. If you try this again then swap outfits and make sure to do it at a different place each time." Shale explained

"You've done this before?" Skarloey asked, baffled at how casually she said it.

"Yea, every now and then." Shale said "Anyways, what's your plan for when you get out of here. You've got a place to stay? Cause I can help with that."

"Why are you helping us anyways?" Renneas asked. "I mean, it's not that we're ungrateful we are but, um-"

"You want to know what I'm getting out of this." Said Shale. She saw him and a few of the others wince at the blunt wording. "Don't worry about sugar-coating it, I understand where that's coming from. And I'll be honest, I would enjoy some of the extra protection. But don't think that's the only reason. I've seen what they do to you guys when your deemed replaceable or disposable and that is just disgusting, even by my standards. And yes, I am referencing what probably happened to most of your friends."

As an emphasis she made the motion of slitting her threat and went limp. "Anyway, my point is that we both now have a reason to stay together. That being, Mutual survival."

"Ah, of course." Renneas said, looking more distressed than ever.

"So, what do we do now? We do have a place to stay, can we take you their?" Rusty asked quietly.

"Really? Dam, didn't expect that. But best to talk latter. You guys finish and get ready to dash." She turned her chair so her back was facing the rest and looked back to Edward.

Talking to him in a hushed voice, she asked if he was alright.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He smiled but still massaged the side of his temples.

"Eddie don't lie. Just tell me how bad it is, I can take it." Shale said.

"Really, I am fine. It does hurt but it's going away. It's worth the pain if that means I can remember who I am again." He took Shales hand and looked her in the eye.

She still felt he was hiding most of the pain but his answer felt genuine so she didn't press the matter. She decided to ask again if something like this happened again. Wether or not she wanted that was up for debate.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hehe, sorry bout not posting a chapter last week. Highschool suuuuuucks, but it's a necessary evil. Oh and btw, potential warnings for the mid bit since Shales gonna get the crap beat outa her. So, look out for that.**

* * *

Each time the bell atop the doorway to the cafe rang, Shale turned to see who was their. She wanted to leave soon, nothing bad had happened all day. So in turn she expected something really bad to happen soon and became more and more antsy as time passed.

Shale started fidgeting with the silverware, wondering if she could use the forks as lock picks when she heard the door crash open. Her and most of the other patrons turned up towards the door.

It was a group of older teens, each of them wearing a bike riders jacket and a abundance of spiked jewelry. Each of them had a similar haircut, except for the man in front who was presumably the leader. The only difference between him and the others was his bright blond hair.

Shale though it was familiar somehow. But she didn't know from where.

They looked around the cafe and one of the spotted her. She met his eyes and he turned to tap his leaders shoulder. This was cause for alarm.

She grabbed Edwards hand and squeezed. "Edward, if something happens then go with Skarloey and the others. They'll take care of you. I'll try to find you later."

Edward took a moment to realize what she said. But she was already up and walking towards the group.

"Alright, what'd I do this time." She asked.

The leader pushed through and grabbed her shirt. "You!"

"Hey, where's this coming from? I don't even know you!" Shale said. She grabbed his arm and tried to yank it of but two of the other teens grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.

"This the one?" The blond in front asked. Shale wasn't sure who until she saw a shorter version of the man in front of her make his way through. They were identical down to their bitter scowl except the younger one had a black eye.

 _'Oh, oh shit,'_

 _"_ Now I remember you." She pointed her fingers at the two blondes. "Let me guess. After I punched you out in that alleyway and you begged big brother here to beat the crap outa me since you to scared to do it yourself. That about right?"

"Wait, you did what?"

She twisted her head to see Skarloey and the rest of the narrow gauge engines starring at her.

"Did you know about this, Edward?" Skarloey asked.

At this, Edward began to fidget with his silver chain and charm. "Well, yes. I did, but Shale didn't mean to! She was only trying to protect me!"

"Okay, for the record I though he was gonna hurt Eddie. But what'd you know, they didn't. Didn't think it would escalate past that."

"Yea, but I don't care why." The older brother grabbed Shale by the scruff of her shirt. "You hurt my little brother and your gonna pay for it."

That sent Shale into overdrive. Obviously they wouldn't do anything now since they were in public but whatever it would defiantly hurt.

Shale couldn't decide what to do. Fighting her way out would be futile and even with the engines super strength, she doubted that any of them would intervene. And if they bothered to try and find her then she'd bet that they'd try and find her again. So either end this here or run the risk of being caught at a later date.

Shale sighed and tried to keep herself from shaking. "Okay, fine. I don't stand a chance against all you guys at once, but can we at least take this outside? Since I'm pretty sure that none of you want an audience."

The brother frowned, but then he nodded to the two teens holding her and they started to walk out while dragging Shale with them.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and several people yelling. She turned her head to see Edward trying to make a break for her. But he was being held back by Skarloey and Renneas.

"Let me go! Don't you see there going to hurt Shale? Let go!" He screamed

"Edward, please. Your making a scene. Well get her afterwards, but this is for her to face. Not us." Renneas said

"Don't worry. I'll be fine, promise I-" He didn't get to hear what she'd say. She was shoved out the door as it slammed shut.

"No!"

"Edward, wait!"

:===========:

Once they were outside, the teens dragged Shale into an adjacent alleyway and held her against a wall. The blonde walked up and pulled the knife from her belt.

"You know I couldn't use that even if I wanted to?" She half heartedly joked.

Then her head jerked back suddenly and hit hard against the brick wall. Her vision went spotty and it took her longer than she wanted to register that she was just punched.

The blonde then grabbed her hair and held Shale at eye level. Something dripped over her eye which made it harder to focus but she could feel him glaring daggers at her.

He said something before throwing her to the ground and heard someone mumble before she felt the kick to her stomach.

She grit her teeth as the pain shot through her like lightning. But they didn't stop. They kept kicking. Head, arms, chest. Each blow making it harder and harder to stay conscious.

Then it all stopped. Shale though that it was it but she felt something cool press against her neck. She could feel her heartbeat- growing faster each second- against the edge of the knife.

Fear wasn't how she felt. It wasn't even close. Terrified wasn't either.

Scared, Pain, Cold, Anger, Sadness, Regret, Guilt, so, so much guilt. And over such petty things to. Taking this from someone when they weren't looking, ignoring someone's cry for help in the night, lying to a police officer. Everything she'd rather forget that all at once.

And somewhere in the mix, hoping that Edward could move on.

Because this was where she would die.

He'd find her here. Body cold and swollen from the bruises, but he'd know. He'd know it was her. She hoped that the others would be their to comfort him. Maybe give her a burial if she was lucky. Under the tree she'd called home. Maybe then she'd be able to give something valuable to the world.

The boy grabbed her by the scruff of her jacket and started to yell. Something about never going near his brother again. Shale expected him to slit her threat and leave her to bleed. She felt her eyes close, good. At least then it would be painless.

:=========:

"Hey, don't you think this is enough?"

Jacob felt one of his boys grab his shoulder. He turned to shake them of but was surprised to see Johnny grabbing his arm. He'd almost forgotten why he was here. When Johnny came home being carried by his mates who explained what had happened. Why his little brother had a black eye. They were exploring a alley when some street rat jumped out and socked him in the face.

That was all he needed to know to try and hunt her down.

But as of now, seeing the girl blooded, limp and on the verge of unconsciousness, he knew that this was more than enough. With luck, this might even boost his street cred and send a message to any of the other street rats. His brother was of limits.

Jacob dropped the knife by the girls feet and stood up.

"Right, your right. I'm sorry Johnny, but I don't want to take the chance of her coming back after you."

He settled his arm on his brothers shoulder.

He looked up and addressed the group. "That goes for all of you. And Johnny-"

"Yea?"

Jacob hit him over the head playfully. "Don't ever go wandering around like that without one of the boys around."

"Ow, but I did have someone with me." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Yea, but whoever you brought wasn't enough. C'mon, let's get outa here."

The walked out of the alley but suddenly another boy with black hair came running out from down the street. It was one of those weird emo boys at the cafe where they found the redhead. When he turned to face them, he started to bolt towards them.

Jacob took a stance and shoved his brother behind him to protect him from the impact. But instead, he just ran past them and into the alley. Falling to his knees by the girls side.

Curious as to why he did this, he stepped closer. He could hear him whispering something to her. Then he paused and looked up at him, tears ready to break in his eyes and shifted so his back was facing them.

"Why, why are you like this? Why do you always have to fight. Why?"

He mumbled.

The words stung, but he didn't let them shake him. "It's because that's what'll get results. Now I know she won't bother my brother again. That's why."

He started to walk back but not before he heard the younger boys reply.

"But if that's true then wouldn't Shale be justified to go after you again? The cycle won't end, not if you keep trying to resolve your problems the quick and easy way. It won't end well for anyone, believe me, I would know."

Jacob hesitated for a moment, then kept walking. Trying forget that the girl had a name, which somehow made him feel worse.

They were at the crosswalk when the same group of Emos from the cafe cane running through a green light. One of them yelled out a apology to a car they nearly hit and then continued down in the same direction as the other boy. Somehow, he couldn't help but relate them to his own crew.

"Hey? Are you alright?" Johnny asked. Giving him a concerned look.

"Yea, I'm fine. Let's just go home


	12. Chapter 12

ToaR: Ch12

Edward set Shales head on his lap. One arm squeezing her hand and one hugging himself. He could feel something pulsing under his fingers so she was still alive. But she was in really bad shape, _really bad._

Her skin was blossoming with dark purple marks and scrapes all across her exposed skin. There was swelling around one of her eyes and a steady trickle of blood running out of her nose.

Edward didn't know if anything was broken and he didn't want to move her if he wasn't sure. So he resolved to stay put until the others eventually caught up.

Noting how the blood was still seeping from her nose he grabbed Shales knife and cut a piece of fabric from his shirt and padded around her nose. He didn't think the other bruises would be a problem. As long as she got some rest after all this, she'd be fine.

"Edward! Edward, where are you?"

He heard turned to where Skarloeys' screams echoed from. "Down here! I found Shale but she's really damaged!"

"Wait for us, we'll find you!" This time it was Renneas calling out.

The sound of footsteps came closer. Edward almost thought that those older boys were coming back. He moved himself so his back was facing the entrance and gently cradled her frame.

The footsteps came closer. He could hear their voices now. Edward lost some tension when he heard the Narrow Gauge engines instead. But they were yelling. Yelling at each other.

"I told you we should've gone after em'. We could've taken em'!" said Duncan

"Yea, but we'd probably get the crap kicked outa us. We don't even know how humans fight." said Falcon

"But what if someone called the police? What would they do?" said Peter quietly

"I don't know, Peter. But I imagine it wouldn't be anything good." said Skarloey. He turned the corner and saw Edward hunched over a body.

They all went quiet. They all stopped but Skarloey walked forward and placed a hand on Edwards shoulder. Edward looked up, smiling, but tear tracks shining down his face.

Skarloey smiled too, happy that his friend was alright. But he gasped quietly when he saw the state of Shale. His other hand covering his mouth in shock.

"Oh, oh dear. Is, is she-" Skarloey couldn't bring himself to say what he thought.

"No!" Edward yelled. The volume echoing around the alley and making some of the Narrow Gauge engines jump slightly.

"No." He repeated, this time softer. "Shale's still alive, but we should get her out of here. She has a place we can stay, but I don't think we could make it there."

"And why is that?" Falcon asked

"Well, because it's in a tree." Edward said plainly.

Falcon raised an eyebrow at this. "Your kidding? Who builds a shed in a tree?"

Duncan slapped him upside the head for that. "You idiot, humans don't live in sheds. There called houses, you donkey."

"Duncan, Falcon, now's not the time for this." Skarloey snapped. "Anyways, we have somewhere for you two to stay. But what will we do about her then?"

Edward paused to think.

"Well, I guess we could just wait until Shale wakes up. None of us know how to repair humans anyways."

"Oh!" Peter Sam exclaimed. "But don't humans have doctors? We could ask one of them to repair her!"

Renneas hummed in approval. "That could work, but we'd have to find a doctor first."

"Alright then. Lets go." Edward crouched down to pick up Shale. One arm supporting her back and the other hooked under her knees. He was surprised by how light she was, but set that thought aside.

They stepped out into the street. Walking around they found an open front store and Skarloey told them to wait outside while he asked where the nearest doctor was.

"I hope Shale will be alright. She looks really damaged." Peter whispered.

"Yes, I hope she'll be okay." Edward said

"Geez, humans are really messed up. Aren't they?" Falcon muttered. Each of the engines turned to face him. Except for Duncan, who was leaning against the wall.

"Falcon? What makes you- why would-" Renneas kept stuttering, trying to find a good response.

Falcon rolled his eyes at the sudden attention. "What? Don't try to deny it. They're terrible things, look what they did to us. Hell, look what they did to her." He gestured to Shale. "Why are we even helping her? She said it herself, she just wants us for protection. That's it. We should've just left her there. I'd save us a lot of trouble if we did."

"Sir Handel! Why would you say that? Not-" Peter Sam was cut of when Falcon slapped him across the face. Peter cradled his face where a mark began to form, eyes wide with shock and tears beginning to form.

"Shut up!" He screamed. "My name is Falcon! I'm not keeping the name that fat cunt gave me! I choose to be Falcon and that's that!"

"That's enough out of you!" Renneas stepped in front of Peter and Edward. "Falcon, what has gotten into you! That was uncalled for! Don't blame this human for what the others did to us."

"Renneas is right guys." Rusty added. "She didn't do anything to us so we shouldn't blame her for anything."

"Tch, when has anything good ever come out of them anyways?" Duncan added.

"Not helping, Duncan." Renneas hissed.

"No, Duncan has a point! She might have helped us now, but what are the chances she'll screw us over later?"

Both Renneas and Rusty were taken aback by this. "But, she's so small." Renneas said quietly. "What could she - no, why would she do anything to us?"

"I dunno, but what I do know is that humans are greedy, selfish things that only care about themselves. We'd all be better of if they'd disappear altogether." Falcon stated. Glaring at the small girl whist saying most of it.

They kept bickering with each other. But Edward remained silent the whole time. He was listening to the whole conversation until he found a good place to speak up.

"Falcon, may I ask you something?" Edward asked. But he was drowned out by the others yelling.

"Falcon."

Still unheard.

"FALCON!"

They all went silent again. None of them could recall the last time the old mixed traffic engine raised his voice. Falcon raised his eyebrow but held his tongue.

"Falcon," he continued in a softer tone. "Do you recall who made you?"

"What? What's that got to do anything?"

"Please, just answer the question."

"Alright," He said reluctantly, but took a moment to recall. "Um, dam. I don't remember who. But they must've been a money whore if they were willing to sell me of to the Fat Controller."

"Well, if they made you. The wouldn't that mean that they decided to keep you alive?" Edward continued

Falcons eyes went wide with this revelation. " I, I guess they did." He mumbled.

Edward smiled at this. "Then if they really didn't care, wouldn't they have left you as just a shell?"

"Edward, just tell me what you trying to say."

"Well, my point is that even though humans do bad things to us and each other, they do them because of a good reason. Most of them probably don't like hurting others, but they think that it's the only way to make any progress."

"Okay, that's true. I guess." Falcon murmured. "But that just means that they're all to willing to hurt others to get that's they want."

"Yes, that's also true." Edward agreed, slightly discouraged. Looking back to Shale, he realized something. "But if we gave up every time somebody hurt us, then we'd never get anywhere. Just because everyone else decides to hurt each other doesn't mean that we have to do the same. We should instead focus on what we can do instead of wishing for something long gone."

Again, Edward nodded to Shale. "She's the best example of this. Shale's still a child, but she's one of the most persistent people I've met. Human or otherwise. She could've just left me with you but she stayed and offered her help to us. She could have left me again but she decided to stay."

He turned to stare at Falcon. His expression was stern but ever patient. "So you see, not all humans are bad people. We've all met other engines who've done bad things before, haven't we? But in time we realized that they were either accidents or a result of what they've seen before. The same hold true for the humans. So please, just give Shale a chance."

That made them all stop to think. It was ironic in some ways. Even without a majority of his memories, and technically being the youngest of the group, he was still the wisest of them.

Falcon signed in defeat. "Okay, I understand your point. I'll give this human a chance. But I still don't like the others."

Someone behind them coughed. It was Skarloey standing by the storefront. He seemed hesitant to speak.

"Pardon me, but I have some bad news. Unfortunately we need something called a health card to go to the doctor. Either that or we need to pay them more money."

Skarloey said

"What'd I tell you guys." Falcon said. "Always about money."

"Falcon, could you stop being so negative. Like Edward said, we should try to fix what we can." Renneas said. "Also, I believe you own Peter an apology."

"What? What happened while I was in there Renneas?" Skarloey asked. He noticed how Peter was cupping his face and the shine in his eyes.

"I, well. After the fact, I regretted it but-" Falcon stuttered

"Falcon slapped Peter after callin' Im' Sir Handel again." Duncan stated.

"What? Why would you that?" Skarloey said, shocked.

"I'm - I'm sorry Skarloey. It was just a heat of the moment kind of thing. I just hoped that I'd never hear that name again." Falcon rubbed his arm. He couldn't bare to look his leader in the eye so he just stared at the ground.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to, Falcon." Skarloey crossed his arms. He was mad, but he also somewhat disappointed.

"Right," Falcon looked up to Peter, who looked more sympathetic than he expected. "Sorry, Stuart. I just, just don't want to keep being reminded of _that."_

Peter Sam managed a small smile. "Okay, I forgive you Falcon.

"Good, we should start heading back now." Skarloey took point and the other followed behind in a tight group around Edward.

Peter had one more question for his old Shed-mate. "Why would you be so mad over a name?"

"Cause it was one of the only things I could've chosen for myself. And even that was taken from me." Falcon crossed his arms.

"Falcon, it doesn't mater what others call you." Edward said. "A name can't change who you are. The one thing that change who you are, is yourself."

"Oh, I never really though of it like that." Falcon face palmed and groaned into his hand. "I'm such a puffball, aren't I?"

"Well, when your havin'a good day." Duncan joked

Falcon yelled indignantly. But it didn't stop some of the others from giggling.

They backtracked there way back to where the tree line started. They found the bush that cut through to the railway and made their way in. Edward tried to keep any stray branched from catching on any of Shales bruises but some still brushed against them, making her wince slightly.

When they made their way back to Peter and Falcons old railway, Edward brushed away some rocks and set Shale down under the shed. He gingerly pulled of her jacket to fold into a makeshift pillow and to asses the extent of the damage.

The bruises were even more extensive now that before, coloured purple and yellowed at the edges. At some places the skin had been broken and blood was smeared around the edges. The only small blessing was that her nose had also stoped bleeding and the rag Edward cut was still useable.

"Do any of you know how to try and mend a human?" Edward asked.

The Narrow Gauge Engines all looked at Duncan for an answer. Said engine had his eyebrow raised and was confused by the sudden attention.

"What? What're you lookin' at me for?" Duncan asked

"Well you seemed to know the most about the things humans do out of all of us." Rusty said.

"Yea, but only the illegal stuff! Not how to fix a human!" Then he caught a glance at the bag hanging from Shale. "There might be somethin' in there tho."

Edward flipped open the bag and pulled out whatever he though would be useful. He set down three vials of different size and colour . He picked up one of the vials and looked at the liquid inside.

"Do you think it's some kind of -what's it called - medicine?" Rusty asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't know if we should use this, it could be dangerous." Edward said. He unplugged the cork and let a small amount of the liquid pour into his hand. It was clear and there wasn't any kind of reaction. He couldn't smell anything either so he assumed that it was just water.

"What do you think, Skarloey?" Edward turned to face him.

Skarloey had his arms crossed and a hand stroked his chin thoughtfully "I'm not sure. But let's try some and see if anything happens."

Edward nodded. He took the rag and poured some of the liquid onto it. He brushed the rag over the blood and cuts. They were still bleeding slightly so Edward cut out some more material from his shirt, added some drops from the vial and used them as makeshift bandages.

"Alright, but what do we do about the bruises?" Renneas asked

"I guess we could just leave them. They might fade after a while but until them we should just wait it out." Edward said. After a moment he added "Would it be alright to borrow your jackets for Shale to use as a bed?"

"Of course, she needs it more than I do anyways." Skarloey pulled of his leather jacket and Peter gave his sweater to him. Edward lifted Shale up again so they could place them on the ground.

Edward hoped that Falcon or Duncan would do the same. But when both of them wouldn't move he spoke up.

"Arn't you two going to help?" He asked

Duncan was going to retort but was stopped by Skarloeys quiet glare. He wisely kept his mouth shut but handed his yellow polo to Skarloey. Falcon eventually did the same with his sweater which Edward draped over Shale like a blanket.

"I hope she'll be alright." Peter said, laying a hand on Edwards shoulder.

"Me to." He then remembered something. "Oh, I want you all to try something!"

Edward fished out the chocolate bar from his pants pocket and broke it into several pieces. He handed one to each of the engines who just stared at it, confused.

"It's called chocolate. I didn't try any of it yet but the younger children always seemed to like it." Edward bit into his piece and his eyes went wide with awe. "Now I see why! Try some, it's amazing!"

Each of the engines took a hesitant bite, one by one. Each of them immediately having a similar reaction.

They were finished in no time and Peter ended up licking some of the chocolate that melted from his hands. "Man that was great!"

"I guess being human isn't so bad after all." Falcon shrugged.

"Yea, I guess." Duncan said.

They all chatted quietly afterwards. Each of the Narrow Gauge engines taking turns catching Edward up to speed about what had happened to them and vice versa. All of them hoping for Shale to wake up soon.


	13. Chapter 13

Peter had excitedly decided to show the rest of them around his and Falcons old railway. Skarloey agreed, as long as they stayed within the valley and promised to come back imminently if they found something. Most of the others had decided to go, leaving Edward, Skarloey and a still unconscious Shale together.

Part of Skarloey wondered if Peter wanted to give him some alone time or if it was just him wanting to explore his old home. Either way, he was grateful.

Edward hadn't moved from Shales side since he cleaned her cuts. Skarloey wished he could do more, but any of his knowledge on human care didn't extend to this. The most he knew was about treating burns from handling coal and maybe a little about broken bones. But that was it.

Skarloey was placing the vials back in the bag when he noticed some papers sticking out. Having nothing better to do, he pulled one out and started to read. He couldn't understand some of the words but he could understand what it was about. His insides went cold and he grip on the paper tightened, leaving creases on the sheet.

"Edward, do you know know where Shale found these?" He handed them of to him. "They were written by one of the scientist that did this to us."

The other only nodded but kept silent. Edward placed the papers back in Shales bag. "Shale didn't tell me where she found them. I didn't even know she had them."

Skarloey just laughed bitterly. "It seems like we can't do anything unless someone tells us what to do, huh?"

"I guess, but it's different now." Edward said

The raised an eyebrow at this. "How so?"

"Well, before we couldn't choose where to go or what we could do. But now we have all the freedom we want, we just don't know what to do with it." He stated. "The humans have a phrase for it, what was it called?"

"I think they called it 'fish out of water'?" Skarloey guessed.

Edward snickered at this. He moved his hand to cover his mouth. "Yes, I think that's what it's called."

Skarloey smiled to. "I doubt James or Henry would appreciate that phrase if they were here."

Edward stoped smiling at this and his expression morphed into more of a grimace. He ducked his head and moves his hand to rub his temples, groaning quietly. Skarloey took notice imminently and crouched down to try and meet his eyes.

"Edward? What's wrong?" He moved to hold his hand but was swatted away almost immediately.

"N-no, I'm fine. It's okay, just-" Before he could finish he cried out again. Grabbing his head with both hands and curling in on himself further.

Because of his previous reaction, Skarloey didn't know what to do. Panicking, he tried to grab his arms so he could face him. "Edward? Please, tell me what's wrong? Can you hear me?"

"Shut up!" Edward screamed. He started to flail violently and practically threw Skarloey onto the ground. "Don't hurt him, leave him alone! Leave us alone!"

The elder engine was taken aback by this. He recalled what Shale had said about him having panic attacks like this, but he never expected them to be this bad. He sat back up and tried to restrain himself from saying anything else. Instead, he waited for Edward to calm down by himself. His head began to rock back and forth as he kept shaking.

"Not again, please, just leave them alone. Don't take them again, please, not again." Edwards screams started dying down into quiet whimpers. Skarloey took this as a good sign and started to move in.

Bad idea, Edward heard him stepping forward and screamed out again. Skarloey froze imminently, having lost any idea of how to comfort his friend.

He decided to stay where he was, only moving if Edward asked something. So he just stood there and watched his friend. His gaze shifted to Shale and he noticed how her hand started to twitch.

Slowly, excruciating slowly, he crouched down to shake her shoulder. He'd hope she'd be awake by now, she'd probably know what to do having spent the most time by him.

He bent down and whispered in her ear. "Shale? Please, I need help. I don't know what to do. Edwards having another panic attack, I don't know what to do. Please, we need you."

Skarloey could've sworn that he saw her eye twitch again. But other than that, there wasn't any sign she was awake.

He looked up back to Edward. He'd stopped whimpering but he didn't move from his position. Skarloey still didn't decide to make any advances.

So he just sat, watched, and waited. It felt like an eternity before Edward spoke again, but it had only been a few moments after.

"Hello? Shale, are you here?" Skarloey almost bolted up but managed to keep himself restrained.

"Edward?" He asked. The other engines head turned up immediately towards him and stared, terrified and shaking. Skarloey was shocked by his expression and for several seconds he just stared. He tried to compose himself and gave Edward a forced smile.

"Hey, it's me, remember? I'm your friend." Skarloey waited but kept himself planted in place. "Listen, your safe, it'll be okay now. They won't find you again, promise." He could hear Edward muttering again. He was repeating 'no' over and over again, each time louder.

"They'll find us again, they'll take us away again. I couldn't help them, it's my fault they're dead, there all just scrap now. There all gone, gone because of me. They should've just take me."

"Eddy, look at me."

Both Skarloey and Edward looked down to Shale, who was now awake. One of her eyes was swollen over and the bruises had overtaken most of her skin colour but she was _awake._

Shale sat up on her elbows and grimaced at the pressure. Skarloey was about to ask her to sit down but he knew that she was there best bet at calming there friend.

"Listen, you couldn't have done anything back then. And I'm sorry for that. But don't blame yourself for there death. Your friends would've wanted you to move on, keep living on for them."

She pulled herself up and set her hands on Edward.

Edward face broke into a small smile. "Shale?"

"Yea, I'm here." She tried to smile to but it look more akin to a grimace. Shale noticed how his arms were lifted slightly. A silent invitation.

She pulled her arms over his shoulders and pulled him in for a loose hug. "I can't promise that I'll be here forever. But I can promise that I'll help you however I can."

Edward latched around her and buried his face into her shoulder. He held her tight enough that is became slightly painful, but she just ignored it and let him stay.

Skarloey felt better knowing that his friend was feeling better now. But he couldn't help but feel useless in knowing that he couldn't do anything to comfort him. Shale looked up towards him and nodded for him to move closer. He stepped beside them and sat down.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" Edward began to apologize but Shale cut him off.

"Eddy, you don't have to say sorry for anything. You weren't the one who stuck your friends in those tubes, right?"

Edward just nodded silently. "So you shouldn't blame yourself."

Skarloey decided to add his two cents. "We're all struggling to cope with these changes, Edward. We'll be here to, if you ever want to talk then just ask."

Edward nodded again. "Okay." He lifted his head and smiled at them both. "Okay."

"Right, you fellin' better now?" Shale asked.

"Yes, thank you both." Edward said

"Good. Mind if you let go now? I'm gettin' a little sore." Shale patted his back and Edward suddenly looked extremely bashful.

"Oh, sorry!" He let go imminently. "I didn't hurt you again, did I?"

"Nah, I'm fine." She looked down to see the scraps of blue and red fabric around her arms. She then saw how the ends of Edwards shirt were torn. "Did you do this?"

"Yes." Edward said, picking at some of the loose threads. "That's what your supposed to do if humans get hurt, right?"

"Yea, that right. But why are they wet?" She brushed the fabric and licked the tip of her finger.

"Oh, we found some vials in your bag. We thought it was some kind of medicine." Skarloey pointed to her bag.

"What?" Shale dug through her bag and pulled out the vials. She saw how one was almost empty. "Oh shit."

Both engines were immediately alarmed. "What! What's wrong? What did we do? Are you okay, do you ne-"

"Edward, Skarloey, relax. I'm fine, at least for now. It's just, I found those vials at same place where they did the experiments. I think Skarloey was there." She said. Seeing the Elder engine wince only confirmed her. "I don't know what that stuff was though. But I guess we'll find out what it is if I'm still alive next week."

Both of the engines started to panic again but were surprised when Shale started to bark out a laugh. "Geez, that was a joke. I'm pretty sure I'll survive this. If it were a poison then I'd already be dead. 'Sides, not the first time somethin' like this has happened."

Edward seemed to relax, but Skarloey had more questions. "But if you didn't know what was in those vials then why would you take then?"

The street rat just shrugged. "Meh, I though I could use it as a bargaining chip."

"Pardon?"

"Just means that I could've used it as a trade for information. You'd be amazed what some people'd take to get high." Shale explained. She braced one hand against the wall and stood up. "Anyways, where are we? Is this the place your guys were talkin' about?"

"Shale, please, sit down. Your still damaged badly, you need to rest." Skarloey stood up and tried to urge her back down onto the patch on jackets.

"Look, this isn't the first time I've taken a beating. I'll just walk this off in a day or two." Shale wasn't technically lying. She had been beaten before, though those were controlled circumstances and it had only ever been against one person at a time. Not to mention she had her knife.

Shale only kneeled down to grab her jacket but winced when she felt a streak of pain run through her side. She tried to stand back up but Skarloey pushed her back down. Putting up a fight would've been both futile and counterproductive, so she complied.

"Shale, please. Just rest for now, you need to get better."

Her fist balled up some of the dirt but Shale tried to remain passive. "Fine." She spat out. "But we've still got a lot of stuff to do now if your gonna make your base here. And I don't intend to sit around all day."

Both of the old engines glanced at each other and shared the same though. ' _Doesn't she remind you of someone.'_

"Alright, but let the rest of us do the heavy lifting." Skarloey said.

"Okay," Shale pulled out a piece of paper and pencil and started to write. "I might have some stuff we can use back at my base but it's definitely not enough for all of us. I don't think it would be a good idea to try and steal that many supplies from town, it'd cause us to gain to much notoriety. We could stop by the library and see if there's anything we could learn in there bout survival."

Shale started jolted down a small list of all the things they might need. Food, Water, Bedding, Building materials, etcetera.

"Do either of you know how big this place is? I want to see if there might be anything useful around here." Shale asked.

"Peter Sam and Falcon know the area. They took the others around, we can ask then when they come back." Skarloey said.

"Great. Eddie, anything we might have forgotten?" Shale asked.

"I, I'm not sure. Out of all of us, your the one with the most experience surviving like this. But what about you? Are you sure your alright?"

"Edward, I'm fine. If I can still stand, then I can still help. Though I don't think I'll be climbing anytime soon." said Shale. She tapped the pencil against her chin before pointing it towards Skarloey. "Hang on, if this was part of a railway they do you think there might be a yard nearby? They might have some good loot."

Skarloey hummed in deep thought. "I don't recall this portion of the railway very well but there were some tracks close to the laboratory we ran from."

"Any other options, Scar?" said Shale

"Not that I know of, no." The elder narrow gauge engine then raised an eyebrow at the nickname. "Scar? Isn't that a tad intimidating."

Shale rolled her eyes. "That's the point, mate. You wanna have somethin' that makes people think twice bout' tangling with you. Besides, if those bastards are on the hunt for you, they'll recognize your name instantly. Your all gonna need new names soon, or at least very vague nicknames."

"Ohh." He whispered. "That does make sense." Skarloey went quiet for a few moments before another question came to mind. "Then is 'Shale' really your name?"

She stopped writing and tipped her head backwards and closed her eyes. "Yea, long as I can remember. I don't think I ever got a name from my real parents."

"So did you choose it yourself? Or did someone else pick it?" Edward asked.

"Heh, actually both. I got help narrowing it down."

"From who?"

Shales expression turned sour. She crossed something of her list. "Just someone I knew. We don't keep in touch nowadays. Let's leave it at that, please."

"Okay."

Skarloey nodded to. Though he still couldn't help but feel suspicious. But he decided to leave it for later. As of now, he was just grateful that things finally started to turn up for the better.


	14. Chapter 14

**Ahh, sorry about posting this so late. Anyways, happy New Years to anyone who's reading at this ungodly hour. (Seriously, why am I still writing at 1 am?!)**

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"So, should we call the others back to explain the plan?" Skarloey asked.

"Nah, let's just wait for them to head back. Let them think I'm still sleeping. I want to see what they'll say if they think I'm not listening." Shale said.

"But wouldn't it be easier to just ask them?" asked Skarloey. Then a thought came to him. "Oh, you want to see if they'll be okay with you here."

"Please, do you think that any kind of direct answer would be genuine?" Shale said. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to lie to someone's face."

"Shale, you don't need to do this. Most of them would be willing to give you a chance." said Edward

"Most?"

"Well, I'm not to sure about Duncan, but he's always been somewhat difficult." Skarloey frowned. "But I'm sure the others will warm up to you in time."

"Alright, is he telling the truth Edward?" She asked.

"Yes Shale, you can trust him." Edward gave her another small smile.

"Okay." Shale started digging up dirt with the tips of her knife. "But what about you? What's your opinion on all this?" She gestured the blade to Skarloey.

"Me? Well..." Skarloey stuttered.

"C'mon, be honest. Don't bother trying to sugarcoat it. I'll smell it from a mile away." Shale rolled her eyes at his hesitance.

Skarloey tried to collect his thoughts but eventually just sighed into his hands. "It's- it's complicated. I'm scared, but it's not just for me. We're all in a position we never expected to be, we don't know anything about how to survive like this, we might have people hunting down and it's only been a few days."

He brushed some of his stray hairs from his face. "Is this what it's going to be like now? Constantly running?" Shale heard a self deprecating laugh. "In some ways, I kind of miss being a engine. At least then I knew what I'd be facing each day. Now...now I have no idea where to go from here."

He turned to face the street rat. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Shale just shrugged. "I have no idea." Skarloeys head hung low at this. "At least if your referring to long term, as for now, let's just focus on surviving today."

Skarloey sighed again. "Alright... alright, I can do that. Thank you, Shale."

"Yea, don't mention it." Shale combed her hand through her hair again. "I'm probably gonna need to move some of my stuff from my base soon."

This reminded Skarloey of something. "Shale, may I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Is your... home really in a tree?"

"Yea?" Shale raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not as weird as you think. She paused. "Well, from your point, it probably is pretty weird. But it's a good place. Good lookout point, keeps you away from other people, and I just like climbing trees."

"Oh."

There was a awkward silence between them before Shale hoisted herself up again. "Well, I'm gonna walk around now." She saw how both of the engines were gesturing back down. "Geez, I'll just be walking around the shed. I'll be fine, I just don't wanna stay here doing nothing all day."

Shale stepped up and draped the jacket over her shoulders. Walking out into the sunlight, she held up her hand to try and block out some of the afternoon sunlight. She turned around to see the shed she was brought to.

"Heh, wow. I wasn't sure what I expected." She said. She saw both of the engines walking out behind her.

"Shale, please just try to take it easy." Skarloey cautioned

"Scar, please, I told you I'd be fine and I am." Shale just brushed his concern of. Thinking for a moment, she walked over to a nearby bush, pulled out her knife, and started hacking parts of.

"What are you doing Shale?" Skarloey asked.

She picked up the branches and started walking back inside. "We can use these fore a temporary bedding. Or firewood, if I can find something to light it with."

The red head walked past them and started rearranging the pile of sweaters and shirts, replacing them with the branches. Edward kneeled beside her and gave her a comforting smile.

"Is there anything we can do?" Edward asked.

"Yea, mind gathering some more branches? The ones with lots of leaves."

"Alright." Edward nodded and started collecting more branches. Skarloey noticed this and followed his lead. Both of them gathering armfuls of leaves and placing them by the entrance. Occasional, Shale would pop out to take some from the pile and add them to the bedding.

"Oh also, make sure to choose all the same leaves. Some of them are poisonous." Shale yelled. "Actually, no, wait. I'll show you."

She stepped out of the shed, grabbed a leaf and called the two engines. "Oy, look at this." She held up the leaf beside the other. "Do you see the difference?"

Both engines looked to each other and then back to the plant. Then then shook their head. "No, sorry."

Shale frowned slightly. "Don't worry about that. It makes sense, neither of you would interact that much with plants. See how each of the stems have three leaves."

"Oh, now I do." Skarloeys eyes brightened. "Are they the poisonous ones?" He pointed towards them.

Shale suddenly grabbed his hand. He jumped and immediately jerked his hand back. "I'm sorry! What did I do wrong?"

"Woah, woah, calm down. I just didn't want you to touch it. We don't know what it'd do to you guys, since you aren't humans." Shale raised her hands in a calming motion. "Those are the ones you don't want to use. Just take the ones that look like this."

She pressed a leaf into both Edward and Skarloeys hand. "Do you think you can do that?"

Skarloey calmed down imminently. "Yes... yes we can. I'm sorry for that unseemly outburst."

"Dude, quit saying sorry." Shale rolled her eyes. "None of you know anything about surviving like this. And that's why you have me here." She smiled at them and went back to organizing the shed.

"Right, thank you."

"C'mon, hurry up or Edward's gonna beat your branch count."

That motivated them. Skarloey and Edward smiled and imminently started breaking of other branches, occasionally stopping to glance at there leaves again.

Shale went back to adding branches to makeshift bed. She didn't expect them to suddenly be so competitive. She assumed it was part of their lives as engines to please someone. At first it was the Fat Controller. But now that he was gone - that position would shift to her.

The realization hit her harder then she expected. The engines never had a chance to learn to be independent - always relying on someone else for instructions. In a way, she had a kind of power over them. She could show then what to do and they would do it. How would they know any better?

Shale imminently slapped herself for that thought. She knew what that felt like; unknowingly being forced to do something without knowing what you were doing.

She hated that.

But realizing how much control she had also scared her to some degree. In a way, the engines were almost akin to children. Granted - they were almost a century older than her - but still children. They might know certain parts about being human, but not enough to stay hidden forever. Their mindset was a weird mix of wisdom gained from longevity and ignorance to the finer points in life.

So now it fell to Shale to fill in the gaps. Great.

Though on a more positive note; she didn't feel any kind of side effects from whatever Skarloey and Edward put in the bandages. Curiously, she pulled out another vial from her bag. Sitting cross-legged on the bed of leaves, she uncorked the vial. The liquid was surprisingly clear. She didn't expect that from something kept inside a dusty lab.

Perhaps something to look through in the future.

:===========:

"Skarloey! Edward! We're back!"

Both engines looked up to see Peter Sam running ahead of the other narrow gauge engines, who - other than Peter and Falcon - looked slightly shaken.

Peter ran up to Skarloey and rocked excitedly on his heels. "It's amazing! Almost nothing's changed since me and Falcon left! There's even the old gift shops! I never quite understood why the passengers would always want to stop there, but now I see why. It's so interesting. We got to look inside but the doors were locked. Duncan tried to pick it, but he couldn't get it open after a his twig snapped so he just kicked the door down!"

"Completely unnecessary, might I add." Renneas mumbled

"Oy, not like anyone'll be stopin' by any time soon." Duncan said

"And I think you could've left out the story about Doger." Rusty added.

"It was worth it to see your faces." Falcon smirked.

"I hear voices! The fact that you aren't screaming for help tells me they aren't humans. Are the others back now?" Shale yelled from inside the shed. She stepped outside and imminently all the other engines had their eyes on her.

"Shale! You're awake." Renneas smiled. "I hope you've been feeling better."

The red head just leaned against the wall of the shed. "Right, of course I'd feel leagues better a few hours after I was just beat unconscious." She drawled. She meant it as a sarcastic joke but she saw how some of them seemed to shrink back.

"Of course, sor-"

"Geez, that was a joke!" She cried. She walked up to the group and looked up to Renneas, who seemed torn between confusion or submission. "I get that you guys were all conditioned to be polite and shit, but this is just ridiculous." She paused. Then stepped back and laughed. "Geez, look at me. Some street rat givin' out orders to a bunch of eighty-somethin' year old steamers. Any of you gonna stand for that?"

Each of the engines looked to each other, but none of them stepped forward. Duncan saw the others standing still and threw his hands up into the air, appalled.

"For the love of - seriously!?" He yelled. He stepped forward to stare down Shale. "I get that we're completely clueless, but that doesn't mean ya get to push us around like donkeys!" He turned to look at the rest of the engines. "Where's ya sence of pride! Or did the Fat Controller beat it out of you lot?"

At the sound of his old Controller, Edward started rubbing his temples again. Skarloey was imminently at his side, one arm around his shoulder and the other holding his hand. After a beat, the elder engine looked up and glared at the younger.

"I don't know where this is coming from Duncan, but it is unacceptable. Apologize to Shale this instant." He said calmly, though it was clear he was trying to restrain himself from yelling.

"Alright, both you old kettles calm down." Shale said, stepping between them. "I'm not mad, and I don't want an apology."

She turned to point at Duncan. "I like you. Standing up for yourself, that's good. Your all gonna need to learn that if you want survive. Don't take other people's crap lying down. If you think something's wrong, then say it."

Said engine looked surprised, but then placed a hand on his hip and smiled coyly. "Ha, see that. She said you lot need to learn from me."

"Now if only you would learn to shut up for once." Falcon mumbled, though it was loud enough for Duncan to hear.

"What did you say!" He was about to stomp towards him when Shale stepped in again.

"And you Mr. Cynic Mc Sass. Tone it down a little. Quit being so negative, or I'll give you something worth complaining about. Life ain't fair, get over it."

Falcon was going to retort again but another hard glare from Skarloey stopped him. "Fine, but I still don't like you."

"Falcon!"

"Simmer down, Scar." She waved away. "I'm not here to win anyone's praises. Anyways, " Shale looked over to Peter. " you said something about a gift shop?"

"Oh, oh!" Peter lit up at this. "But it's a bit of a walk. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Got it , mind if you could show me where it is?" Shale asked

"Okay." He nodded, his mouth opened again, but then he shut it again quickly.

"C'mon, Greenie, spit it out. I know you've got somethin' else to say." Shale said

"W...well, um. I'm just not sure that... your still...um."

Shale sighed "Peter, please, just say it."

The engine took a deep breath. "I'm sorry but I don't think you'd be safe exploring because you're still damaged!" He ducked his head and started shuffling his feet.

Shale rolled her eyes at this. "See, was that so hard - and besides, it's a valid concern - but I'll be fine, I've got you guys as my tour guides."

Peter looked up. He saw Shale stretching out her arm in the direction they came from. "Well, are we going or what?"

They started walking again. Though Edward began to flank beside Shale while they walked. She noticed, but didn't mind. Somewhere down the line, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

She tuned and saw Duncan behind her. "What's it with you callin' Scarloey 'Scar'? Makes 'im sound like a tough guy. And callin' Peter 'Greenie', though that kinda makes sense."

"Well if you guys decide to go out in public again then your gonna need some kind of code name to try and throw of whoever might be hunting you." She explained.

"Alright, but I get to choose mine." Duncan said. But then he added. "Though I think 'Skunk Tail' would've been more fittin' for Peter."

"Hey!"

"Oh yea, I wanted to ask you about that. What's with your hair? Y'know, that random white streak." Shale pointed.

"This?" Peter picked up a part of his hair and almost went cross-eyes trying to look at it. "You mean this isn't normal? I though humans had white hair to."

"That's only if your a few decades old. But none of your friends have white hair either."

"Perhaps it was from your funnel?" Renneas guessed

Falcons eyes widened at this and he glanced at Peter with a cheeky expression. Peter saw this and knew what was coming.

"No, Falcon don't you dare."

"Peter Sam said again and again, his new funnel will put us to shame. Went through a tunnel and lost his old funnel. Now his famous new funnel's a drain!" Falcon sang. Not even halfway through, the others started laughing and Peter Sam blushed.

As for Shale, she was just left confused. Skarloey took notice of this and stopped laughing for a moment to compose himself again.

"Ahem, I apologize if you feel left out. It's just a joke we used to share on our old line about Peter Sams old funnel." He said.

"I though we got over that." Peter mumbled.

"Yea. But it's still kinda funny, Skunk Tail." Falcon said.

"And what about you, Steamroller?" Renneas added.

Falcon shut up after that.

"But I don't want that to be my code name." Peter said. "Can I choose another one?"

"Sure, nobody here stoppin' you." said Shale.

"Alright." Peter took a moment to think. "I'll tell you when I have an idea."

The group kept walking, trading stories about their old railway. They made sure to keep it light since Edward would start getting headaches at the mention of certain names or places. Peter Sam and Falcon spoke mostly of Duke, or as they knew him, 'Grandpuff'.

Eventually when they made it to the small gift shop, Shale told them to wait outside while she explored the interior. This left the others outside to continue recalling old memories.

"He really was splendid!" Peter Sam said. "Remember when he saved you, Falcon? From the cliff while you were learning the line."

"Yea, but what about the time he tricked the passengers into thinking you had broken down and he had to push you back all on his own." Falcon countered.

They all laughed quietly as the two went back and forth with their stories.

"I don't remember seeing Duke around your railway. Was he still there?" Edward asked

Both Peter and Falcon were saddened at the question. Skarloey stepped in.

"No, Edward. Speaking of, what did happen to Duke?" He asked

"We're not sure." said Falcon "I don't think he came with us - don't bother asking why - but we haven't heard of him since."

"I just hope they haven't found him yet." Peter Sam whispered.

Renneas sat down beside them on the platform and smiled kindly "Well, I'm sure he'd be proud to see how far you two have come."

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 **Also, I tried to find a good mix between show cannon and the Engines comic so sorry in advance for any continuity errors. Comes with writing Fanfuction for a show with at least 20+ Seasons. 😂**


	15. Chapter 15

Stepping through the broken down doorway, Shale took in the weathered room. Part of the roof had fallen away, vines had broken through the windows, some of the shelves had broken off and everything was coated in dust. She was also half sure that their was a bat colony living inside.

But really, she didn't know what else to expect.

The cash register was still surprisingly intact. It was still closed but that wasn't a problem. She jammed the knife into the slot and wedged it open. Inside were a few more dead bugs, some shillings, a worn out 2 pound note and a ring of rusty old keys.

She pocketed everything she found. As for the keys, she doubted that she'd be able to find whatever they opened. Instead, she slid the key ring around her wrist and slid the keys between her fingers. Throwing a loose punch, she smiled. This would work as a makeshift weapon for one of the engines if it came down to that. Though the main issue would be convincing them to use it.

Looking up to the shelves, their wasn't much that was useful. Most of the contents were wiped away, but what was left were just cheap junk. Their were small boxes filling one of the shelves. Shale opened them, they were filled with a array of different polished rocks. None of it useful.

She noticed another door behind the counter. This one was also locked, but when she tried to pick it it wouldn't open after two tries. She tried to just kick it down, but she hissed at the impact.

"Shale? Are you alright?" Skarloey peeked through the doorway. "I heard a thud." He saw how Shale was standing by the door. "Were you trying to get in?"

She shrugged. "Yea, couldn't pick the lock. You'd think that it'd be easier to break since this place was abandoned."

Skarloey hummed and looked at the door. "I have an idea, but could you please stand back."

"Sure." Shale shrugged and jumped up onto the counter. The older engine took a few steps back from the door, took a stance, then charged towards the door. Instead of bouncing of like Shale expected, there was a loud crack followed by a thud as Skarloey barrelled through. Everyone outside imminently tried to pile through the doorway trying to see what had happened. Unfortunately, they attempted to run in all at once, and this led to them tripping in front of the doorway and landing in a heap.

Edward bolted through first but tripped over the doorframe. Renneas and Rusty stopped to help him up but Duncan barred through and knocked both of them to the floor. Falcon and Peter Sam were already running behind him and ended up falling over them.

And as for Shale, she was trying to pull herself of the ground from laughing so hard.

Each of the engines groaned from the floor. Duncan looked up to see Shale laughing at them. He growled slightly and pushed Peter and Falcon off his back.

"You two! Get your arse of me!" He yelled and pushed of Renneas back.

"Ow! Duncan, that hurts!" He said. "Edward? Did anyone see where Edward went?"

"Down here." Renneas looked down and saw Edward lying underneath him. Groaning from the weight. Renneas looked incredibly flustered at there position and stepped of immediately. It took the rest of them a few moments to untangle themselves, but they managed easily.

Shale was about done laughing at this point. She stood up shakily while holding her stomach, still giggling. When the other engines shot her indignant looks she just rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, don't tell me that it wasn't a little funny." She said

"To you, maybe." Falcon muttered.

Shale just smirked anyways. Then she saw how Edward was still on the ground, propped up by his elbows. She crouched down and helped pull him up. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yes - yes I'm fine." Edward rubbed his back sorely.

"Eddie, you just had five dudes land on top of you. Your not alright."

He sighed. "Shale, please. I'll be alright. I've probably had worse accidents."

"Yea, like-" Peter Sam paused to think. "Actually, I can't think of any."

"Really? Are you sure?" Renneas asked. "What about that one with the lorry? While you were taking the Flying Kipper for James?"

"That happened?" Edward brushed his right eye and scratched the back of his head. "I don't remember that happening?"

"Yea Renneas, I think that might have been something else." Rusty said.

"Anyways, the hell was that noise?" Falcon yelled.

"Down here! I'm alright!" Each of them turned towards the other door to see Skarloey poking out of the newly formed hole. He stepped out and dusted some splinters from his jacket. "I apologize for causing such a panic. I didn't expect to fall through so easily."

"What on earth were you doing Skarloey?" Renneas exclaimed.

"Well, Shale couldn't seem to open the door so I decided to try an alternate route. I didn't mean to cause such a fuss."

While the engines were talking, Shale walked over to the door and examined the cracked wood. She whistled and turned back to them. "Dam, I guess this proved my theory."

"Theory?"

"Yea, I wanted to know how strong you guys were compared to when you were engines. Wonder if the scientist know about this." Shale noticed a piece of rusted steel propped against the counter. She pulled it up and held it out to Skarloey.

"Here, try to bend it. Give it all you got."

He took the steel into his hands, but looked questionable at Shale. She rolled her eyes again and motioned for him to continue. So he grabbed the two ends of the steel rod and tried to force them together. His eyes seemed to focused on a point of the rod. Shale could see it in his eyes, he was angry, thinking of someone. It wasn't hard to imagine who. After a moment, to everyone's shock and surprise, it didn't bend at all

He broke it in two.

A loud metallic crack echoed throughout the building as Skarloey stared at the two pieces left in his hands. He and the others mouths were agape in surprise, including Shale.

She stepped up and traced the edges of the rod. "Well, dam. I didn't expect that. Weren't you guys the smaller engines?"

"Technically, its Narrow Gauge." Renneas mumbled.

"Noted, anyways you're defiantly gonna have to be more careful around other humans." She took the pieces and tucked them into her bag. "Let's see what's in that room."

This time, Shale walked through the broken door and made sure that they came in one at a time. Inside, it was some kind of office. There was a desk facing the doorway and above it was a shelf carved into the wall. Beside the desk on both ends were two filling cabinets.

Shale began to open drawers and pulling out papers onto the desk. She pulled over one of the intact chairs and started to read through the sheets. When she turned to see the others just shuffling behind her she gestured to the filing cabinet.

"C'mon, open em' up. There might be something useful in there and we can bring it back to the shed."

The engines then split into two groups and started pulling out papers to read. What Shale found were mostly just financial papers and stuff about taxes. She decided to keep them anyways for kindling. When she opened one of the binders from the top shelf she found more records of sales and brochures from various museums. She looked over her shoulder to see what the others had found.

On her right, Renneas, Duncan, Rusty and Edward had organized the papers into piles while Skarloey, Peter Sam and Falcon pulled out papers from the separate cabinets. She knelt down to see what was on each of the papers, again, mostly just financial things.

"Damit, I kinda hoped we'd find a map or something." She threw the papers against the desk in frustration.

"Well, we did find these needles. Are they medicine?" Peter held out half a dozen large needles filled with some kind of liquid.

"Drop it!" Shale yelled. Each of the engines jumped back and the needles fell to the ground. Shale then started crushing the needles with her boot, leaving nothing but glass shards and a stain on the wooden floor.

They then all looked up to Shale who was breathing heavily, glaring at the remains. She sighed and looked up again. "Sorry, but that was not medicine. Did you find any other needles, did any of you get a cut?"

Skarloey looked to the others and each of them shook their head. "No, but what was that? Is it poisonous?"

"It might as well be." Shale muttered. "C'mon, we should get out of here." She stepped through the door and the others followed. Are there any other places down this line Peter?"

"Well, there is a lake. Is that useful?" He said and Shale smiled.

"Defiantly, we need a fresh source of water and there could be fish too. How far is it?"

"Um, I'm not sure. But it was rather far, are you sure you can walk that much?"

"Greenie, I said I'd be fine and I am. C'mon, you take point." So Peter Sam took the lead and they all followed him down the tracks.

"Oy, you didn't answer out question." Duncan ran up to Shale. "What was in those needles? How'd you know they were dangerous?"

"I... well." She sighed again and pushed back some of the rust-red hairs that had fallen through the bandana. "I knew a guy who'd sell those of by a place I'd visit to get some cash. It was supposed to make you amped up for a fight, but all it did was make it harder to feel your teeth gettin' knocked out."

"But... why would he sell it then if he knew it was dangerous?" Rusty asked.

"I ask myself that all the time." She mumbled. She coughed and spoke up. "I don't know, we'd make a decent enough wage with the bets. Guess he just started to get greedy. Wouldn't be the first one."

"Wait." Falcon stopped and grabbed her shoulder to spin her around. Shale tried to jerk away but his grip was firm and it sent spikes of pain across her arm. "You said we. Did you work with him? How much are you keeping from us!"

"Falcon, calm down!" Peter ran back and pulled his friends arm of. "She'll tell us when she's ready. Just give her some time!"

"Nah Peter, its fine." She rubbed her shoulder. "Look, let's find that lake and I'll tell you all there. That sound good?"

Falcon raised and eyebrow but nodded. "Alright, but I want a straight answer."

"Fair enough." She shrugged and they all kept walking.

But along the way, Shale started to lag behind. Edward was by her side and holding her hand in what she though was meant to be comforting. But it was just slightly to firm and her hand was growing sore. She didn't have the heart to tell him of.

"Are you sure about this, Shale? Telling everyone, because you do seem uncomfortable with it." He asked.

"Eddie, look. I'll be fine, why are you always so worried about me?" She snapped back. It had a harsher edge than she expected and she saw how Edward shrunk back. "Don't get me wrong. It's fine, but I can take care of myself. Been doin' it for a couple months anyways."

He didn't answer this. So she decided to make a joke. "What? Is it like a engine thing to protect children?"

This made him laugh slightly. "Actually, yes. It's an instinct for most of us to be protective of children." That perked him up. "Wait, how old are you?"

"I swear I told you, didn't I? I'm sixteen ." She said. Edward didn't expect that.

"You are? But... but your so small." He said.

"Well that's what happens when you get the bare minimum for the first years of your life." She frowned and kicked up some pebbles against the rails.

"Oh." That was all Edward could say. He saw how Shale started to walk faster, they were both falling behind the others. Edward remembered when he picked up Shale when she was unconscious and how light she was. He wondered how much she ever got to eat in a day. So he bent down, slung his arms under her knees and behind her back and carried her bridal-style towards the others.

Shale of course, squawked and started to try and push herself of. "H-hey! Edward put me down! I can walk on my own, put me down!"

She pushed of his chest and jumped out and onto the ground. Though she landed on a weird angle on the rail and had to catch herself on her hands. She hissed at the impact on the bruises on her legs but tried to stand again anyways. Edward frowned, but picked her up again.

"Shale, your still damaged and you haven't eaten anything all day. If we're going to make it to the lake then you have to let me carry you."

"But..."

"No buts, Shale. You need to take is easy if your going to heal faster." He scolded. Shale didn't expect this from Edward, it was the first time she had herd this tone from him.

And unfortunately, he was right. The bruises still stung and her stomach had started squeezing uncomfortably a few hours ago, but she just ignored it. So she just hung her head, crossed her arms over her stomach and let Edward carry her towards the group. When they caught up, Shale had started to become drowsy and struggled to stay awake. Rusty, who was the farthest back, noticed and smiled at her.

"Heya, don't worry. We'll be their soon, who knows. Maybe we could try catching some fish for you."

"Do you even know how to fish?" Shale asked.

Rustys smile faltered. "Well... no. But it can't be that hard. You just cast out a line and wait, right?"

"I have no idea." Shale shrugged. Or at least she tried to, she hissed when she felt the bruises pulsing across her shoulders and arms.

"Shale, please. Just rest, I'll wake you up once we're there." Edward said, smiling softly. Shale just sighed, she didn't want to sleep so she just elected to watch the tracks and the trees.

:=======================:

"Shale! Shale, we're here!"

The red-head jerked up suddenly, then grimaced at the pain. She saw Edward shadowing over her with a worried expression. Then she noticed how she was sitting on a bench in some kind of station, head in Edwards lap.

"Eddie? Are we at the Lake yet? Where are the others?" Shales head scanned the room to try and spot them, but other than her and Edward, it was empty.

"Yes, you fell asleep before we made it here. The others are outside by the lake. They've been trying to catch a fish for you." said Edward

Shale sat up and started walking towards the door. "How's that been going?"

Edward started fiddling with his hands, a smile breaking across his face. "Well..."

A loud splash interrupted him and was followed by muffled yelling and laughter. Both shared a laugh before stepping outside the broken down shack and out onto the lakeshore.

It was an ideal little summer getaway setting, a large open lake, a floating wooden dock, a small rack of canoes and a fire pit surrounded by cut logs and a floating wooden barge with different coloured clothing piled on top.

Wait, what?

Shale heard another splash and looked out onto the lake. She saw each of the Narrow Gauge engines running around the lake shirtless. Skarloey and Renneas were the farthest out and were watching the water carefully. While the others were running around the lake, trying to splash each other. It looked like Duncan and Rusty were teamed up against Falcon and Peter, though occasionally they'd turn on each other and tacked one-another into the water. Each of them were laughing and calling out taunts to each other.

It was... nice. That was the only way Shale could put it. It was nice to see all of them so happy. She wondered when was the last time they ever got to enjoy themselves like this, or if they even ever got treatment like this. She looked up to Edward, expecting a smile. And he was, but she also saw him crying. Edward was silent as the tears rolled down his face and he didn't seem to be looking at the others. Rather, he was looking up to the sky.

"Edward?" asked Shale in a quiet voice. She laid her hand in his shoulder. "What's wrong? Do you want to go back inside?"

That seemed to snap Edward back to the present. He blinked for a moment and that's when he noticed the tear tracks down his face. He wiped the of with the back of his hand and smiled down at Shale. But she could still see how his eyes were puffy.

"N-no a I'm fine. Really, let's go meet with the others." He started walking down to th shore but Shale grabbed his hand.

"Edward, stop. You and I both know your not alright. People don't just start crying for no reason. Please, you can tell me." She looked out onto the lake again and back to Edward - who kept his eyes downcast.

"It's fine." His voice cracked this time. "Nothing could've been done anyways, I couldn't have change anything. I never could."

That's when it clicked. "It's your friends, isn't it." asked Shale.

Edward started to cry again, hiccuping as the sobs wracked his body. "I just... I just wish that I could've seen them like this. Percy, Thomas, all of them so happy. And I know it's stupid because there all... all." He fell to his knees and balled his fist into the dirt. "There all gone, I couldn't even say goodbye."

Shale knelt down beside him. She admitted that this was becoming tiresome, though she couldn't deny a simple fact; everyone is entitled to their own sorry, for the heart has no metrics or forms of measure. And all of it... irreplaceable.

So she tried to think of something supportive or comforting to say. "Edward, just because they might be gone doesn't mean any of us will be leaving you." He looked up to Shale at that.

She shifted until she was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. "I... I don't know how long I'll be her with you guys. I don't know how long your going to have to live like this. But, I do know that as long as all of us live, we'll stand by each others back side. No matter if it's a matter of months, years, decades or even hours, I'll bleed and fight for you and I'll try to make it right for you."

Shale didn't know how much Edward was listening to, he kept crying. But at least it had evened out to quiet sniffles. She looked out onto the lake and saw how Skarloey was looking in their direction. She motioned 'shoo' at him and he hesitantly turned back towards the water.

Shale turned back to Edward, he'd stopped crying but his head was still hanging low. "Feeling better now?"

Edward didn't say anything, instead just nodding. "Alright, do you want to go back inside?"

"N-no, I'll be alright." he said. Shale stood up and held out her hand to him.

"C'mon, I wanna see if they've caught anything yet." She grinned down at him. Edward reflected her expression and took her hand.

Walking down to the shore, Peter and Rusty took notice and ran over. Unfortunately, neither of them were wearing pants and Shale had to cover her eyes. She wasn't keen to see exactly how human the engines had become, thank you very much.

"Shale! Edward! Good to see you stepping out!" Rusty exclaimed

"Yea! But are you sure your alright Shale? Why are you covering your eyes?" Peter questioned "Is it to bright? Did something happen to them?"

"Don't worry Greenie, I'm fine. It's...uh... a human thing." Shale tried to explain, though she was flushing slightly.

"That's a weird human rule." Peter said

"Why is it like that?" wondered Rusty

"I'm not sure? I think it's because they look different under the clothes?"

"They do?"

Shale heard Falcon offer his two cents into the conversation. "Well duh, she's the only one with a round chest. The rest of us are all flat. Not to mention she probably doesn't that have a funnel."

Shale was confused by the wording, but it didn't take long for her to understand the accidentalI innuendo. She coughed to get their attention.

"R-right so if you guys would put on some pants. I tell you what you wanted to know, Falcon." Shale mumbled. She heard someone stepping out of the water and imminently turned and started walking back towards the tree line.

After a few minutes she heard Falcon again. "So, are you gonna spill or what?"

She moved over to the extinguished fire pit and was surprised to see each of the other engines sitting around on the logs. Each of them in dressed in various stares, each of them still dripping wet.

Shale sat on the log in front of the engines and started to poke at the fireplace. "Alright, you all want to know more about me?"

"Yes." Falcon insisted "Who are you? How did you know those vials were dangerous? What were you do before you met us? What are you keeping from us."

Shale opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again and sighed. "Alright, you all already know my name - Shale - and I wasn't lying about that. As for who helped me picked it, he-" She snickered "He called himself 'Picks'. Ridiculous, I know. He found me on the streets after I just ran away from the orphanage. Picks took me in and taught me everything I knew; scavenging, street smarts, shoplifting, you get the idea. Once, he took me to see a street fights on my 'Lost and Found-Day'."

"Wait," Renneas interrupted "Don't humans call their building day their 'Birthday?'"

"Well I never could remember my actual birthday, so we just dubbed the day Picks found me my birthday. Anyways, I was fourteen when he brought me to my first street fight - nothing to violent the place had a good rep on the street, it was actually kinda fun to watch - and when I saw how much the prize money was I had to win it for us. Pick manages to make some decent money scamming the locals but they'd wise up after a while, so money was running thin. I tried to ask around to see which arenas would take a kid like me, since most arenas were lead by different groups of people, thus different rules. I found one that was holding a fight for the preteens in the neighbourhood and signed myself up without telling Picks. It was a few weeks from then so I started to train. And by train, I mean trying to break/lift random objects. So when the day came, I snuck out of the house at night and made my way to the arena. Then -. "

Shale let out a bitter laugh. "Well, I managed to take down a few of my opponents but when I managed to break top eight, it didn't end well. It started out alright and for a bit I was actually winning. But the guy I was fighting pulled out a switchblade after that. Needless to say, I got the crap kicked out of me. Got some nasty scars to." Shale pulled of her bandana and brushed up her hair to show a long pale line running from the tip of her ear the the centre of her forehead. She held out her hand and saw how the skin on her knuckles was puckered and paler compared to the rest of her.

"Though the Ref stopped him before he could do any real damage, but I was to weak to keep fighting. They gave me some pity cash and sent me back home. Picks found me after I made my way back. He was waiting for me and started to lecture about how stupid it was to try and win those fights. But then he saw the money I brought back. After I was healed up he started to give me some semi-formal self-defence training. It wasn't much, but by the time the next tournament came around I managed to break into fourth place. It still wasn't a lot of money, but I was pretty happy at the time. Then in my next fight, I made it to second, then first, then first again. That's when I noticed that Picks has set up a vendor near the arena and when I asked him what he was doing, he said that he set up a betting pool against me."

"After a while, I figured out that Picks had been selling of different drugs to kids before fights and played them of as steroids."

"What are-?" Renneas started

"A kind of addictive liquid that makes people stronger."

"Oh."

"Anyways, when I found out. I called him out for it and he said that it was how we'd survive. I mean, I get that, it's tough times. But if we decided to extort those other kids for what was free money at that point, then we'd be no better then those suit wearin' pricks. So I decided to inform the refs about this and they kicked Picks out. Unfortunately, I was kicked out to since I was technically an associate. I didn't want to go back to Picks so I struck out on my own. And that's where I've been for the last year."

When Shale finished her story, the silence stretched on for a few minutes after. She was concerned and broke the silence again. "You guys have any more questions?

"No Shale. It's just...a lot to take in all at once." said Skarloey

"Did you really have to hurt others for money?" Peter asked quietly.

She hesitated, but gave her answer. "Yea, I did. But it was never that bad, the referee would usually call the win before any of us broke something. And I swear, I never knew that Picks was drugging up some of my opponents. I never wanted to cause any permanent damage."

"Yea, and all we have is your word to go of it." Falcon muttered.

"And what exactly could I gain from this? What else could I gain from a fake backstory?" Shale shot back. "Look, I know I can't prove anything yet. But just give me a chance."

Under her breath she added. "I'm tired of being alone."

Each of the engines looked to each other. Some of them skeptical, most sympathetic. Edward shifted over to Shale and pulled her into a hug.

She was to stunned for any immediate radiation. She felt Edward brushing his hand through her hair and against her back. "Shale, I already trust you. I believe you and I don't think you wanted to do anything wrong. I'm not sure how much of what you did was good, but you didn't have many other choices to survive."

"Yea, I guess. Still, I wish I could've done something better." She didn't want to push out, instead letting Edward take his time. Eventually, he let go and let Shale face the other engines. "So, what do you all think of me now."

"Well I can't speak for everyone, but I do believe what you've said. And if what you said is true then you were protecting us by destroying those needles." said Skarloey "If you wanted, you could've used them to weaken us and... well... let's not go there."

"Alright, fine. I'm convinced for now, but don't expect be to let my guard down." Falcon stated

"Who said I expected you to?" She shot back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I... um, well it's a good thing to be alert all the time? Honestly, I could t think of a comeback in time." Shale scratched her head.

"Now that I believe." Each of the engines had a laugh at this.

"Now, I heard something about you trying to fish?"

* * *

 **Man, this was the longest Chapter so far and I am damn happy about that. Also, I wanted to ask; where do you want the plot to go after this. I've got a few plans but nothing official.**

 **1) The Narrow Gauge Engines try to confront Sir Toppham/stop his experiments**

 **2) They try to work up to a normal life**

 **3) Something else (Post it in a Review, I'd love some input)**

 **Also I might have added some references to other pieces of media. I won't say what though, just wanted to tell you that they're there.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ahhhh! I have Summative Tests and Exams next week. Great, that's just great. 😒So I'm not sure how my upload schedule might be effected. I might be able to get another chapter by next Saturday, I might not. But I'll do what I can.**

* * *

All of the others either groaned or started snickering again. Shale smile and joined in laughing. "How bad was it?"

She looked over to Skarloey and Renneas who were holding their head in their hands and groaning. Duncan shoved their shoulder playfully.

"C'mon, you galant old engines. She wants to know."

"Alright, but it's... well, to call it an embarrassment would be a gross understatement." Renneas mumble.

"Guys you killin' me." She laughed "What'd I miss while I was out!"

"I don't think either of them caught a fish yet." Peter said "But I think Skarloey was ho startled by something and fell into the water."

"That explains why your not wearing a shirt and the lillypad on your head." Shale pointed out.

The eldest engine blushed and combed his hand through his hair to pick it out while the younger ones kept laughing. When he found it, he flung in playfully at Duncan's face, who spluttered and threw it off. He looked back to Shale and gave her a tired smile.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find anything. I knew it would be difficult but I didn't expect this."

"Well that's cause your doing it wrong." She laughed. "Did any of you see a fishing pole inside that shack?"

Renneas though for a moment. "Hmm, no. Could we possibly build one?"

"I guess?" Shale scratched her head. "I mean, at its core it's just a pole with some string and bait attached to one end."

"Splendid!" Skarloey clapped his hands. "I'm sure we could find something to salvage. What can we use?"

"Well, you could just break of some tree branches for poles. Vines could substitute for string and we could tie some bread to the tip." Shale look back at the fireplace "This might be a better base than the sheds. We're close to water and food and we still have a shelter."

"I guess that is a more practical point." Peter mumbled "I just... well, hoped we could sleep in out old sheds again."

Shale grimaced at this. "Sorry, Peter. But from a survival standpoint, this would be more practical idea. Your welcome to keep visiting, just be sure to bring a partner and to tell me when you go."

Peter tried to smile but it was obvious to both that they weren't completely happy with this. Falcon tried to comfort his old friend. "C'mon Stuart, she's got a good point. It'd be pretty dumb if we had to walk back and forth just to get fuel each day."

"Oh yea, just remembered something. Have any of you started feeling pains in your stomachs?" She tapped for emphasis.

Each of the engines looked to each other. Peter and Rusty even started poking the others stomachs for fun while the others tried not to laugh.

"No, I think we are alright." Peter smiled.

"But what about you Shale? Do you feel anything?" Skarloey asked

"Hold up." Duncan held up his hand. "Are you tryin' to ask us is we're hungry?"

"Hehe, yea." She rubbed her head. "But seriously, are you?"

"Nah, I'm still fuelled up." Duncan smirked.

"Are you feeling alright to Shale?" Skarloey asked. "You haven't fuelled up since this morning."

"Don't worry 'bout me." Shale stepped away and back into the shack. Edward followed her inside, while the others went about collecting branches and vines.

"Shale?" Edward placed her hand on her shoulder. "Are you really alright? You should be eating more for someone your age."

"Eddy, c'mon, there are more things to worry about than that." Shale started poking around shelves, dropping anything that seemed interesting into her bag. Walking over to the cashier, she tried to pry it oped again, but it didn't break open this time.

"May I try?

"No, Eddy, I got this." She grabbed the blade with both hands and tried again, but hissed when she felt the pressure against her bruises. "Just... keep looking around, their might be something-"

"Shale please, let me try." He took her hands away and picked up the cash register.

"Edward, pleas just hand it ba-"

She heard a crunch and saw how Edward had pulled open the slot and subsequently cracked the entire thing open. He placed the broken pieces down on the counter and held out the slot to Shale.

"Oh, wow." Shale mumbled, still stunned by the strength. "Thanks Edward." She pulled out some of the spare change along with some springs.

"Shale, I'm not Helpless. You don't need to do anything yourself." Edward said

"Yea, I hear you." She crawled under the counter and pulled out a faded blue cooler. She stood up but ended up hitting her head on the edge of the counter. "Shit!"

"Shale!"

She grabbed the back of her head with one hand and pounded the table. Hissing from the pain. But she grit her teeth and pulled up the cooler. Edward grabbed it from her and started to move her towards the bench when she pushed him away.

"Look, I'm fine!" She said, grabbing his arm. "Just bumped my head, that's just me being stupid."

"Shale, please calm down." Edward tried to comfort her. "You can sit down, please. I can do it."

"Edward, I said I'm fine!" She tried to pull herself out of his grasp. "Didn't you pick up the fact that I used to be a street fighter for a living! I'm used to this. I may as well make myself useful while I'm still here."

That made Edward loosen his grasp long encounters for Shale to pull away. She turned to start browsing through the cooler, until she heard Edward stepping back and muttering to himself again.

Shale groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Eddy, look. I get that you engines like taking care of kids and all that crap, but I'm not some kid. I can pull my weight around here." He heard him mumbling louder and his breath quickened so she turned around. Edward was staring of into the distance, wide eyed and terrified.

"Crap." She muttered. Shale made sure to stay still but held out her hands in a sign of surrender.

"Sir? Where did you take the others?

"What?" Shale raised an eyebrow, confused. Who was he talking to? She was the only one in the room. Then he was having another flashback.

'Shit.' She grit her teeth but tried to look calm. "Hey, Eddy, c'mon, you know it's me."

She tried to take a step back, but Edward followed in suit. "No. Sir, please what did you do? Where did you take them! Please! I need to know!"

His voice had started cracking at this point, and Shale noticed how his hands were balling into fist. And surprisingly, he didn't look like he was going to cry. Instead he looked angry.

"Eddy, please. Listen to me, I'm S-"

"Sir, please! Where are they? Please! I need to know if they're safe!" Edward screamed

At this point, the others could hear him screaming. So each of the Narrow Gauge rushed through the door. Concern written across their faces.

"Edward! What happened? We heard you screaming." Skarloey stepped out first, followed by the others.

Edward whipped around and stared at each of the other engines. Shale expected him to start panicking again. Instead, he rushed towards the door. She was about to step in to hold Edward back, expecting him to barrel through the others and out through the door.

One of her predictions was true.

Edward ran towards the door but instead of charging through, he crashed into Skarloey. Wrapping himself around the other like a lifeline. Everyone in the room was stunned, including Skarloey, who had his arms raised above Edwards back. Unsure of what to do next.

"You're here." He mumbled, grabbing at his jacket. "Your safe."

Skarloey looked up to Shale, who was just as confused as he was. She didn't expect this from Edward, for him to be this clingy immediately after one of his flashbacks. This hadn't ever happened before.

She believed it was because of the inherit familiarity that they already had, which made sense. But it still hurt.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Edward started crying again, balling more of his jacket.

"E-Edward? You don't need to be sorry." Skarloey patted his friends back, trying to mimic the motions he'd seen from other humans.

Renneas walked up. Glancing at is brother before placing a hand on Edwards shoulder. "We're all safe, we're all here with you Edward."

The later engine looked up with reddened eyes, before latching onto Renneas as well.

"I'm so glad your safe James." All the other engines were confused by this. Until they heard what he said next. "When they took you, and Thomas and dear little Percy. I... I."

Each of them looked to each other and cringed, knowing what had happened. Skarloey looked up to Shale, silent question in his eyes.

'Does he know?'

She nodded. Though this didn't help either of them with the situation, since breaking the news a second time didn't seem like a good idea.

"Hey Edward?" Peter Sam chirped up. "Umm, don't worry, we'll keep you safe. We'll keep each other safe." Stepping up to the group forming around him.

"Yea, for how long." Falcon muttered. Skarloey was going to snap at him again but Falcon didn't stop.

"But until than, I'd like to see another human get past us." He said proudly.

"Uhh, did you see what Skarloey did to that rod?" Duncan pointed out. Slapping the older engines back enthusiastically. "I'd like to see 'em get within ten feet of us!"

"Well you already failed that, since I'm still here."

Each on the engines turned to her, though they couldn't hear exactly what she said. Shale was left leaning behind the counter, cooler slung over her shoulder and some odds and ends sticking out. Skarloey winced in sympathy, he could see the purple edges of the bruises forming around her collarbone. That had to be painful to carry.

He jumped slightly when he heard a snap. "Hey, eyes up here, Steamie." She tried smirking, but it was more muted. "I've got everything we need, I'm headin' back outside."

She didn't wait for their answer, instead stepping around and out through the door and back onto the fireplace by the lakeside.

The other engines looked back to Edward, who thankfully seemed calmer. "Edward?" Skarloey asked. "Are... are you back?"

"Hmm? Ooh." It took a moment for Edwards eyes to focus again, but once he did, everything seemed to sharpen. "Oh!" He looked around to see the other engines surrounding him in a almost-hug.

"Umm... yes? I-I'm better now." He took a moment to look around. "Wait, where's Shale? Wasn't she here before?"

"Yea, she just walked out." Falcon pointed his thumb towards the door.

"But why?" Edward asked. "Is she alright? D-did I do something?"

"No, Edward you didn't do anything!" Skarloey stated.

"Then why did she leave?"

"I'm not sure." Skarloey frowned. "Anyways, she said she found what we needed to make a fishing rod." He took Edwards hand nod led him outside. "Let's see what we can do."


	17. Chapter 17

**ToaR: Ch 17**

Each of the engines stepped out to see Shale sitting by the fire pit. She had the cooler opened and some of the supplies and splinters were scattered around her feet, a piece of a branch held between them, a spool of twine with a paper clip being tied together and her knife held in her mouth.

Edward stepped up beside her and knelt down. He heard her mumble and leaned closer to hear.

"Grbb te spll for a hec." Shale pointed with her knife to the twine, then nodded towards Edward.

"Pardon?"

"I aid, grb te - oh fergt it." Shale started to measure out a length of twine, cut it, and lay the pieces onto the side of the log. Then she drew out more twine, but left it connected to the spool. Laying to all back onto the ground, she started to tie the twine at certain points, but left the portion with the paper clip loose.

Shale stepped back up and Edward saw her slide the spool over another stick that she had tied on. She gave it a few swings, then nodded to herself.

"Alright, this was the best I could make. Sure you didn't find anything else in there?"

"No, is there anything else we could do?" Skarloey asked.

"It's fine, I can work with this." Shale gathered everything back into the cooler. She pulled out a piece of stale bread from her bag and stuck it to the paper clip.

She stepped closer to the water and cast out the twine. But it didn't go out very far, so she had to draw it back and pull out more string.

Edward started to fidget with his hands. "Shale? Do you want us to collect more branches again?"

"No, wait, I'll do that now." Shale propped the rod beside the log and ran back to the tree line, crouching and analyzing the bushes.

"Shale don't worry, I still have the leaf you wanted to get. Skarloey and I can show the others which ones were poison."

"Edward, please I can take care of this." She really could, the hunger pains had started to fade after a bit. She wanted to contribute where she could, which granted, wasn't much in her eyes, but it was something.

"Shale-"

She already started breaking more branches off, Edward looked back to the others for support. Skarloey stepped forward. "Shale? You don't need to work so hard, it's not selfish to want a break. Please, let us help."

"Scar." Shale pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I get that you all want me to be - I don't know - happy? But I'm fine, I just want to make myself us-"

She cut herself off. " -make myself worth being around." The she went back to cutting branches, carrying so many it overshadowed her head.

"But, we never said you had to prove yourself?" He asked.

"Obvious you wouldn't say that out loud." She tried to step inside the wooden shack, but tripped over the doorframe.

"Shit!" She dropped the branches and tried to catch herself. But she only managed to pull up one arm to protect her face, the rest of her body took the full impact. Skarloey, Edward, and Renneas were imminently by her side.

The brothers started to pull away the branches while Edward carried Shale back inside. He sat down on one of the benches near the back, Shales head in his lap. She was still awake, but she had to take a moment to clear her head from the sudden blur of pain.

"Shale?" Edward gently shook her shoulder. "Please Shale, you can Take a Break. I know you want to help, but you won't be able to help anyone if your to damaged to even stand."

She groaned, her hand combing through her hair. When her fingers reached her bandana, she scratched at it before ripping it of. Letting it fall to the floor and giving Edward a closer look at the scar running across her forehead.

Parts of the scar were blocked by her rust-red hair, but he could still see how is winded across her face like a snake. It was a fairly clean cut, though some parts were more jagged than the rest. Edward brushed back her hair and noticed more scars.

A array of small crescent-shaped scars around on of her eyes, pale scratches that blended with her freckles and a few longer cuts that ran down her cheek and bruised neck. Edward stared, shocked, then angry. Who would do this to a child? Why would they do this? Who would let something like this happen to her?

Then she started to cough, frame curling further into herself. She shuddered, groaning quietly. Then her eyes snapped open and she was already moving to push herself up again. Though Edward pushed her head back down.

"Eddie, c'mon. I gotta get back -."

"No. Shale, I'm sorry but you can't leave." He stated.

"What? No, I just fell. I'm fine." She tried to sit up again, but felt another wave of hunger rush through.

"Shale you are not fine. Your running low on fuel and your still very damaged. I'm sorry, but .I just don't want you to get hurt more."

"But what ab- gh" Shale winced and grabbed her stomach. She couldn't sit up, but she managed to roll over so she was facing him. "W-what about you? I-I have to do this, You n-need th-."

Edward covered her mouth with his hand. He gave her a patient smile. "Shale, please, listen to me. We can't learn if you don't give us a chance. I understand that your scared, I'm know everyone else is. But we're safe now, you can rest. Let us return you gifts. Please, just rest."

That's when Edward moved his hand off. Leaving Shale to stare at him with a wide eyes. At first he was concerned and expected Shale to try to stand up again. But thankfully, she didn't.

Instead, she smiled back. Eyes shining with restrained tears.

Edward was scared, he didn't want to make her cry. She seemed to notice this, pulling up the collar if her jacket and turning away.

"Oh Shale, it's alright if you want to cry. It's okay, it's okay to be scared." He went to brush his hand over her gaur again when he heard her laugh.

"You idiot, stupid, stupid emotional garbage. Get up, you have to do this, you need to do this. Life isn't free, nothing is. So get up and make something of yourself. Give them a reason to keep you."

Edward was shocked. He saw her eyes widened. Was she thinking out loud? He didn't expect Shale to be so dismissive about herself. "No, please. Shale, you don't need to prove anything. I want you here."

"Skarloey? What has happened? Is Shale still awake?" asked Renneas

"Oh, I hope she is. She's so small." Peter cooed. "Can we come see her?"

He looked up to the entrance of the shack and noticed some if the Narrow Gauge engines peeking through. He motioned with his head to come in.

"Edward? Shale? Are you both alright?" Skarloey stepped in first, followed - surprisingly - by Duncan.

"Look, the rest if ya donkeys can stay out there. We'll tell ya if she's alright." Duncan blocked the entrance from the other engines.

He turned back to Skarloey, who was already kneeling beside her. "Well, is she?"

"Um, I'm not sure? She doesn't seem like she wants to talk?" He looked up to Edward.

"Shale? Do you want to talk?" He asked.

All he got was a shake.

"Oy! What's wrong with her?" Duncan stepped up.

"I - I'm fine. Really, I am."

"Do you really expect any if us to believe that? We're not all as stupid as you humans might think."

"Duncan!"

"Heh, he does have a point." Shale turned over. "I'm - well. I'm just, just confused. I guess that's the best way I can put it."

"Alright, that ain't really tellin' us much."

"Duncan, please." Skarloey chided "She'll tell us when she wants to."

"She also told us to speak our minds. So, I am." He shrugged.

They then heard her sigh. "Well, I-I just want you to think I'll be worth being around. And I haven't done anything really... well, notable. I guess."

"Alright, now that's some horse crap. You've done plenty of stuff around here. Bringin Edward to us, showin' us how survive and hell, your still doin' work and your more damaged that Peter Sam after those slate cars fell on his face. So don't give us crap about you bein' useless."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and Duncan cringed at the wording.

"Anyways, I'm not very sure I can speak for the others, but I like you. Even though your human, you've been working as hard as an engine."

"But, you still need me to-"

Skarloey spoke up again. "We already gathered more branches and we might be able to start a fire to cook any fish that we can catch."

Shale frowned. "Wait, do you know how to start fires?"

"Duh, we saw it done all the time. Can't be that hard."

"True, you'd probably have more experience then me. Though it's not a high margin to beat."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that the others don't burn the forest down." Skarloey joked. "So please, just rest. You've earned it."

She smiled briefly before closing her eyes. "So have you."

 **My exams are this week guys, pray that I don't self implode.**?


	18. Chapter 18

**Also known as the Narrow Gauge Engine centric chapter**. **Man, this was simultaneously one of the funnest and hardest chapters to write for.**

Peter and Falcon sat by the empty firepit and began picking at the leftover ashes while Rusty started pacing around. Renneas and Duncan - that was a surprise - had left to check on Shale again and even though some of the engines weren't equally as fond as the human, they couldn't help but feel worried.

Each of their heads turned up when they noticed Renneas walking back. Peter and Rusty immediately ran up to ask about their human. They hadn't seen seen what had happened but instead heard Shale cuss and crash onto the floor.

"So? What happened? Is Shale damaged worse now?" Peter asked, alarmed and worried.

"I... I'm not sure. Duncan shooed me out, but I think she's just really low on fuel."

"And you decided to leave her with Duncan?" Falcon snapped.

Renneas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It came as a surprised to me as well. But I'm sure Skarloey can handle him if something happens." Renneas moved over to sit by the fire pit. He noticed the makeshift fishing rod leaning against the log.

"We need to get more fuel for her so she'll repair herself faster." He stepped up to the fishing rod and picked it up.

"Hang on." Falcon held up his hand as a pause motion. "Do any of you guys even know where to find human fuel here?"

"Well, we know that there are plants that are poisons. So we should avoid all plants, just in case." Renneas said. He rolled the rod in his palms.

"So you've already decided to be the one to do the fishing. What are we gonna do?" Falcon folded his arms.

"Maybe we can try building a fire?" Peter said. "I mean, humans usually heat up their fuel before they eat it. Right?"

"True, but do any of you even know how to start a fire?" He asked. Rusty and Peter both looked to each other

"I think there's more than one way to light a fire, since I was a Diesel and the rest of you were Steam Engines." Rusty mused.

"Good thing we already have some fuel for a fire." Renneas gestured to the small pile of branches beside the logs they sat on. "Hmm, we may need more though."

"Got it!" Peter and Rusty nodded and ran over to the tree line to gather more branches.

"So, what am I supposed to do? Or do I finally get a break?" Falcon asked sharply.

Renneas though for a moment. "Perhaps you could find some way to light the fire? Try looking through the cooler, there might be something there."

Falcon just shrugged and pulled the cooler up to his feet and flipped it open. Renneas folded up his pants and waded into the water before casting out his line.

While waiting, he couldn't help but be struck with a sense of nostalgia. One of his earliest memories were of taking passengers to and from this very spot. Watching the humans from the tracks. "I've always wondered what this was like."

Falcon looked up from browsing. "What? You mean fishing?"

"Yes." Renneas broke a small smile. "I used to wonder why would the humans would always like gathering around the lakes."

"Yea, it's just like a big, open water tank."

"True, but I think I understand it now. It's a... well, it's a interesting feeling. I don't know how exactly to describe it but it just feels nice out here. Everything's so calm and quiet."

Falcon just rolled his eyes and went back to browsing through cooler. "Seriously? I hate it."

Even though he had mumbled his response, Renneas heard him anyways. "Really? What makes you say that?"

The younger engine ran a hand through his spiked hair. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to get away from other humans. I guess I just don't like the quiet. Makes me feel ...I don't know, it just makes me remember a lot of stuff."

"Oh." Renneas didn't know what to thing of the younger engines words. So he just turned back to the lake.

Meanwhile, Peter and Rusty had made about half a dozen small piles of different branches. Each organized by different leaves, length and colours. Skarloey had stepped outside to see both younger engines kneeling in front of the piles, gesturing to each other and the piles.

"But Rusty, are you sure that these are the safe leaves? They don't look like the others."

"Well if they were dangerous then wouldn't we have seen some kind of reaction?" He pointed to his hand. "See, I'm alright."

"But we aren't human, right? So we might not be affected, but it still could damage Shale."

"Oh, I hadn't though of that."

"Yea, and the last thing we need is either of you puffballs causing one of us to breakdown." Duncan rolled his eyes behind them, casing both of them to jump.

"Ah! Oh, oh. Sorry, we didn't hear you." Duncan mumbled something under his breath around the lines of ' _tch, whimps_ ' Rusty gave him a flat look, but didn't snap back.

Skarloey just sighed "Regardless, we shouldn't take any risks."

"Could you show us the leaf Shale gave you Skarloey? Is she alright?" Rusty asked, opening his palm.

The older engine knelt down and pressed it into his hand. "Don't worry, she's just tired. Edward wanted to stay with her inside." He decided to leave out Shales self-deprecating comments. Even he didn't know what to make of it. Though if he were to guess, it came from her time on the streets.

Perhaps it was related to her caretaker, Picks. Skarloey considered asking her about it once she woke. But decided against it, she'd already said enough. It wasn't his place to pry.

"Do you think we can use these for anything?" Peter picked up some vines and colourful pieces of flowers and leaves.

Skarloey smiled and kneeled down beside them. "Im not sure Peter-Sam. But I know you'll think of something. However, I don't think it matters what kind of branches we use. But we should be careful so the fire doesn't spread."

He gathered part of a pile and started walking back to the fire pit while the others followed in suit. Though Peter paused to look over at one of the canoe racks. The rack was mostly broken but there was one left surprising intact.

Peter dropped his bundle and went to pull up one of the canoes. One had already fallen of and it wasn't to much of a hassle to lift. He dragged it over to the branches and piled them in. Rusty had already brought his load so he was already walking back and noticed Peter loading the canoe.

"Wow, that's a great idea!" So Rusty joined him in loading the canoe.

Though it didn't take long afterwards. But when Rusty turned back, Peter-Sam was sitting in the canoe. Hogging his knees, smiling and fiddling with some vines. He didn't know how to react.

"Peter? Shouldn't we bring this back to the fire pit?"

The younger Engine scratched his face bashfully. "Well, yes. But do you think you could, uh, pull me over in the canoe?"

Rustys face settled between confused and amused. Then he breathed out a small laugh. "Alright, but just this once. Maybe we can actually use this out on the water. Did you see any paddles?"

"Paddles? Is that what these are?" Peter held out two large, somewhat splintered piece of shaped wood. "I thought that it was more firewood."

Rusty moved to the tip if the canoe and started pulling. "Well, be sure not to use it for that. We'll need that to steer."

"Alright!"

Then he paused. "Wait, do you know how to steer a boat?"

:========:

Renneas had heard his brother beforehand and had already turned to walk to him, smiling. "Skarloey! How's Shale, is she resting now?"

"Yes, she's starting to rest. I just hope we can find some fuel for her before she wakes up. Good to see you're already working on that."

"What? No credit to me?" Falcon muttered under his breath. "Wow, way to make me feel appreciated."

"Oh, sorry Falcon." Skarloey rubbed the back of his head. "Uhh, may I ask what _are_ you doing?"

"Falcons been trying to find something to light the fire. I've been trying to catch some fish and," Renneas sighed "Well, so far it's been less than successful."

"Now _that_ makes me feel better." Falcon pointed, wearing a lopsided grin. This caused Renneas to shrink and turn back to the lake.

"Falcon!"

"Geez, it was a joke." He just rolled his eyes and went back to browsing the cooler. Then he heard a dragging noise and turned to see Rusty dragging Peter in a old canoe.

To say he was confused would've been an understatement.

Duncan was the first to react. "The hell am I lookin' at?"

Falcon just rolled his eyes, this time with a fond expression. "Peter being Peter." He stepped up and helped to start unloading the branches.

Peter stepped out with a bundle of branches along with a armful of brightly covered foliage. He dropped his branches in the pit and sat back on the logs, going back to fiddling with the vines.

While the others unloaded the rest, Falcon sat beside him and looked over his shoulder. "Hey Peter, what are you makin' ?"

Peter smiled and held up the vines in front of Falcon. Now that he got a better look, it was actually a array of vines all tied together along with some bright red leaves and petals tucked in at random places.

"I'm not sure what it's called, but I used to see the other children make these for one another." He started to tie the two ends together to create a loop large enough to circle their heads.

"It's pretty, I'll give you that. Why'd you make it?" Falcon asked.

"Well, I wanted to give it to Shale. As a gift."

"Wait, the human?" He raised his eyebrow at that. When he saw his friends expression droop he softened his tone. "I... I'm sorry Peter. I just don't... don't understand how you can all be so calm around another human. Child or otherwise."

"I'm not sure. But I know she's not a bad human."

"Stuart, she agreed with Duncan. _Duncan."_ He said in a mocking tone. Both if them shared a laugh at that. Even when said engine glared in their direction.

"Yea, but even so, she has good intentions. Even if she sound a little mean sometimes, she's not trying to hurt us. She's just telling us the truth."

"Huh, that is a good point." Falcons head hung low for a moment. "It's... not silly to still be anxious around her, right?"

"I don't think so." Skarloey gave him a sympathetic smile placed a hand on his shoulder. Even when Falcon flinched and pulled away. "We're all adapting to a new situation."

"If we are, then it's not showing from you." He retorted.

"Believe me, I'm scared to. But it won't do us any good if we can't keep a level head. And I'd prefer if that burden didn't have to fall to any of you. I'll admit that I'm still slightly wary of Shale, but I suppose that fear comes from previous experiences with other humans. I'm willing to bet you feel the same. But... but I believe that Shale needs us as much as we need her."

"What makes you think that? She said it herself, she's been surviving even before she found us."

"True, but Shale is still a child. And while she has been surviving, it certainly would not have been easy. Even with the help of that 'Picks'. But when she discovered that he was harming others for there benefit, she decided to leave him because she didn't want to be associated with him. But like I said, we'll all be here for each other. And now we need to be there for her."

The younger engines frown softened and he turned up smile. "Thanks, and I'm sorry for bein' a bit of a prick sometimes. Guess that's my way of adapting."

"Finally, he admits it." Duncan called out.

"To bad I can't say the same for you yet!"

That made the other engines laugh. Even Duncan, who just scoffed. As for him, Rusty and Renneas were pushing the canoe out onto the lake. Fishing Rod and Paddle already loaded.

"I hope you know what your doin', old timer." Duncan groaned

"So do I." Renneas mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

Once the canoe was at the water, each of the engines jumped in. While the canoe wobbled in the water for a moment and the engines had to catch themselves on the sides, they didn't tip over.

"Alright, both of you grab a paddle and try to push us forward." Renneas grabbed

Duncan pulled up one the oars hastily pulled one, almost smacking up Rusty in the face. "Hey!"

He held up the oar and turned it around in his hands. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Uhh, I think your supposed to row with the oars at the same time. So we don't end up spinning in circles." Renneas moved to the edge and cast out the line again.

When both engines started row, they argued back back and forth about there pace. Renneas tried to ignore the, but he had to intervene since the extra motion was causing the boat to rock.

While this happened, Peter, Falcon snickered to each other at their friends position. Skarloey tried to hide his amusement, but he couldn't help but find it a little funny.

Falcon had payed out some items to use for lighting a fire. He couldn't remember much, it he recalled something his driver said about striking two kind of rocks together. Or was it two pieces of metal? It was starting to become frustrating.

Skarloey noticed his frustrations and sat by him. "Falcon? You can take a break if you want. I'll try to find a way to light the fire somehow."

He pushed back some stray hairs before smiling back. "Thank you Skarloey, I'd have blown a piston if I kept this up."

He stepped up and let Skarloey take his seat. Falcon move over to Peter, who was giggled while watching his friends trying to steal the canoe without capsizing. Peter had finished his vine-crown and now fiddled it with his hands.

"That's real nice of you Peter." He commented.

His friend was confused for a moment before he understood what he was referencing. "Oh, well, I just though it'd be something nice for her. I just hope we can catch some fuel for her soon."

And at that moment, they all heard their friends screaming escalate before hearing a loud splash. They all turned to see that the canoe had somehow tipped over and Rusty was left splashing around and grasping at the edges of their canoe.

As for Duncan and Renneas, there was a flurry of bubbles before both of them poked out for the water. Each holding their button-up shirt and vest respectively. The trio managed to drag each other to shore. The others were immediately by there side and help them up.

"Renneas? What on earth happened?" Skarloey was shaking slightly as he patted his brothers back to try and cough up the water.

"I'm sorry, this was my doing, I managed to reel something in but I didn't expect it to be so sudden. So I tripped over the side and... well. You saw the rest." Renneas said downcast. "But, we did manage to catch these!"

He unfolded his and Duncan's shirts to see two fishes laying inside. Duncan looked up to the Elder with a triumphant grin, even in his droopy hair fell in front on it.

"Well, while I'm glad that you managed to gather some fuel you need to be more careful next time." He squeezed his brothers hand, concern written clear over his face.

"So, did ya figure out how to light that fire yet?" Duncan asked.

"Well, not yet. I don't suppose you could recall anything your driver told you about." He held up a rock and a piece of steel in his hands, rubbing them together of-handedly.

Though he didn't notice how it started to create sparks. Some fell towards the branches while the others started to catch on his jacket.

"Skarloey!" Renneas slapped the rocks from his hand and pulled his brother away from the fire. This happens so fast that Skarloey was left in shock.

"Wait, what? Renneas! What are you doing!?" He jerked around frantically, though this caused then to fall backwards towards the water again. Leaving both of them soaked.

They all stared, before breaking out into laughter again. And while the older engine were still stunned and frankly, a little embarrassed, they couldn't help but laugh as well.


	19. Chapter 19

After some trial a error (and a few more surprise wash downs in the lake) the engines managed to light the fire and skewer the fishes they caught. While the others remained by the fire to dry of their clothes and warm themselves up, Skarloey made his way back to the cabin.

He knocked on the door and waited for one of them to answer, but when he didn't hear anyone step up he opened the door slightly. But then he tried to keep from himself from fawning. Shale was still sleeping, head in Edwards lap and curling in on herself. While Edward had slouched over, hand tangled in her bright red hair.

He smile at how relaxed they both were. Shale didn't appear as tense and was far more relaxed. As for Edward, it was nice to see his oldest friend calmer than he'd seen him since he'd found him.

Skarloey stepped up, trying to keep his steps quiet. But he stepped on a loose board and it made a creak that echoed around the cabin. Shales eyes suddenly snapped open, hand flying to the hilt on her knife. But Edwards face was hovering above her and she ended up smashing the back of her head into him.

Shale cursed and grabbed the back of her head, then turning up to apologize to Edward. Who - surprisingly, seemed more shocked than in pain. Even as a black liquid started dripping out from his nose, he didn't seem concerned.

"Dam, sorry Eddie. I just, I'm sorry I didn't meant to - argh!" She pulled at her hair and dug the rip of her knife into the wooden board.

"No, please. I'm the one to blame. I should've waited for you to wake up, I'm so sorry." Skarloey ran up to their side, watching both of them for any kind of marks. He started to panic when he saw the drops of black staining Edwards shirt.

Shale grit her teeth. She went to rub the back of her head, but felt something drip onto her fingers. "No, I was the one being stupid and overreacting. Damit. Uhh, pinch your nose and tip your head back. I'll find something to clean up - whatever it is."

Seeing her bandana on the floor, she picked it up and folded it into a small square and pressed it against his nose. Skarloey was siting by his side and noticed how she was using her bandana as a handkerchief.

"Shale, please, we'll use something else. You don't need to - "

"Scar, it's just fabric and we're literally right next to a lake. I can clean it up later." She snapped back. She turned back to Edward, who's head had started to clear from the sudden awakening. "Here, can you hold this?"

He nodded slightly and when Shale moved her fingers away, Edward pressed the fabric against his nose to block out the flow. She stared at her fingertips and the slick black liquid start to drip down. A part of her was shocked to see that the engines did bleed, even if it wasn't blood - probably some kind of oil then.

She wiped it against her pants and looked back to Edward again. "Keep that there until the oil stops flowing." She sighed into her hand, covering her face before pushing her hair back. "Dam, this was probably the last thing you guys needed."

Skarloey started to fiddle with his fingers, a habit that Shale began noticing more often. "I'm still sorry for interrupting both of you. I should've been more careful."

"Skarloey, this isn't your fault. If you wanna blame anyone, blame me. It's just, well, I think there's a name for it. But for now, let's just call it a learned reaction. I'm just not used to this." She gestured to herself, the other engines and her surroundings.

"Used to what?"

Shale tipped her head back and closed her eyes, chuckling to herself quietly. "Used to not worrying about falling asleep and praying someone doesn't try to-" she cut herself of, not wanting to explain some of the horrific things that happened to other street kids. "Try to do something bad to you while you sleep."

"Oh, then I should be more careful next time. Again, I'm so sorry, to both of you." He apologized again.

"Skarloey," Edward spoke up, both of them turns to listen. "Shale, it's okay. Neither of you wanted to hurt me, and besides, this isn't a very large wound - I'll be alright."

"But Edward,"

"Skarloey, please. I will be fine." He stepped up and laid his hand on his shoulder. "Anyways, you wanted to show us something?"

"Oh, alright. But are you sure you'll be alright?" Skarloey asked, still feeling guilt.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you'll be fine. Though I gotta ask, doesn't that hurt?" She pointed to Edwards still leaking nose.

"Uhh, no. But we're engines, we don't leak oil. Shouldn't we be leaking water?" Edward asked.

"Beats me, I don't even know how your supposed to be alive in general."

Skarloey and Edward shared a uncomfortable look. The eldest engine turned back. "We - we've never really know ourselves either. I don't recall much after - after waking up. But I remember hearing someone talk about how they made us as engines. Something about a mechanical heart, organic shells. Though I doubt that this helps anything at the moment."

Shale saw how Edwards posture had changed; arms tightened around his torso, head ducked. She moved over to gently pat

"Yea, but I think it'd be good to go over everything we know with the others. Lay down some ground rules so we know what your limits are." Shale

"Alright." Skarloey followed both of them outside, leading them to the fire pit. The rest of the engines were sitting around the fire on several logs, some even had still dripping clothes layered ontop.

The engines had the fish they caught skewered on some some branches and would take turns passing it around the fire. They chatted between each other, Shale suspected the subject was something from there past.

"Heya" She waved ahead. "I'm awake."

She expected some polite comments, maybe a smile or two. But she didn't predict Peter Sam running up to give her a hug that left her feet kicking in the air. The gestured left her shocked and the force on her bruises made her grit her teeth to keep herself from yelling.

"Pete, put the human down. Your crushing her." Duncan pulled his arms of her. "You alright?"

Shale was breathing hard, but managed to choke out a quick 'yea,thanks' before standing back up again. Edward took a seat alongside Peter and Duncan, leaving her and Skarloey standing.

"Sorry, but I'm happy to see your alright!" Peter exclaimed. He picked up on of the skewered fishes. "Here, you really need the fuel."

Falcon took notice of the black stains on Edwards clothes. "Dam, what happened in there?"

Skarloey took a seat. "I promise I'll explain, but give Shale a moment to eat. We need her input."

Shale reached for the branch, but pulled back. "Wait, have you guys gotten something to eat yet?"

"No, but our pipes have started feeling somewhat dry." Renneas rubbed at his throat. " I think we're low on water, but I don't think we can drink the water in the lake."

"Besides, you need it now. We can always catch more later." Skarloey stated.

"'Kay." She reached for on of the fishes and bit into one the middle. It was still hot from the fire and it burnt part of her lip, but she was starving and continued to rip pieces of the branch. Pausing to wipe some of the juices of her face or to pull a thin bone out.

Skarloey was happy to see her finally eat again. He turned back to address some of the engines. "So, we've managed to find a good shelter. But we've also discovered some interesting things about our, condition."

Shale had finished her fish and threw the branch into the fire. "Yea, from what we've seen, you guys have the strengths equal to that of your engine-selves, you can't feel pain and you apparently bleed some kind of black, oil like substance."

Skarloey nodded. "Also, even though we don't need to eat as much as humans we still need to gather more supplies. So we might need to visit the town again."

"Also, you'll need to to be more careful in public since the police are definitely gonna be looking for you. They'll be looking for you as a group, so we'll need to split up each time."

"And I assume you'll be in each of them?" Falcon asked.

"Yea, I will. Sorry 'bout that, but you guys don't know a lot about how humans operate or what kind of supplies we'll need. Not to mention I've got practice with running from the police." Shale explained.

Duncan looked amused at this. "What were they tryin' to chase ya down for?"

She just shrugged. "Ha, honestly I don't even remember half the time. Probably tryin' to bright me back into foster care or somethin."

"So what do we need to find?" Rusty asked.

"Water, mainly." Shale started scratching pictures in the dirt. "Picks taught me this nifty rule of three; three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food."

"Oh, well, that's certainly provocative."Skarloey started to fidget again.

"The water's gonna be either the easiest or hardest thing to get. We might be able to lift some water bottles, but I don't want to rely on just stealing for the long term." She had to think for a moment before getting another idea. "Maybe we could check out the library for survival books."

"So, do we just go along with this plan? Don't we get a say?" Duncan asked.

"Well, unless you guys have some more input. They yea, this'll be the plan."

"Well, she does make a good point." Skarloey pointed out.

"Oh yea, and I just remembered something else. Do any of you guys have your code names?"

"Ain't that a mute point? Doesn't matter what we call ourselves, we'll still be sticking out like rusty piston." Duncan pointed out.

"Oh yea." Shale held her chin in her hand thoughtfully. "Good point Duncan, but until we find a way to hide your skin you'll have to be a lot more careful."

"Alright, but what are we gonna do after all that?" Peter wondered

"Huh, whatdya mean Pete?" Shale asked

"Well, what are we going to do once we find everything? What next?"

"What about the other living machines?" Rusty interrupted "The experiments, can't we do anything about that?"

Shale had hoped they wouldn't bring that up. "I, I don't know. I'm not even sure what to. We survive, we try to stay hidden and stay safe."

"Really? That's all you do?" Falcon said

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know. I know you guys want to help, but how are we supposed to help others if we can't even help ourselves."

The other engines glanced around, they didn't like where Shale was taking this, but they also didn't have a better plan.

"Alright" Skarloey spoke up. "But afterwards, could we at least attempt to try to find another living machine? I speak for all of us when I say that what happened to our friends is the worse fate an engine could face."

Her head hung low and she sighed audibly. "Fine, sure. I'll just help where I can."

Her head tilted back up towards the sky. The horizon coloured bright orange, to a soft red then a deep violet. Shale couldn't help but be reminded of her bruises, which - while fading, still stung whenever she moved. "Guess we should be sleeping now. You guys go ahead, I'll put out the fire."

She moved to the lake and cured some water, throwing it over the fire. She was surprised to see that the engines still left one of the fishes propped against the logs. She pulled out the slightly charred fish in one hand and went to gather some of their damp clothing.

But Edward was already there, arms held out like a rack and the clothes draped over. He stared back at her, pure confusion written over his face. "What? It wouldn't be fair if you had to carry all of this yourself. Your still damaged."

"Heh, thanks Eddie. " Shale walked back to the wooden cabin, she noticed how some of the piles of leaves were missing.

When they stepped inside, Shale smiled to see that the engines had made a small patch of leaves across the floor. Some of them were sitting on top of the bench which was also covered in leaves but they jumped of when they notice Shale walk in.

"Oh, you didn't eat the other fish?" asked Skarloey, surprised. "I though you'd need more fuel than that."

"So do you guys, and I'm pretty sure one fish ain't gonna cut it between the seven of you" Shales held out the stick with the fish.

"No, you need it more than we do. I really do feel more empty on water than fuel." Renneas insisted.

"It's either that, or you let it go to waste." Falcon smirked.

Shale didn't like his expression, but didn't turn up her nose to the food. She sat down on the bench and pulled out her knife and carved out some pieces, she tossed some to Edward and the other engines. Who just barely managed to catch them.

"Well, then I guess we'll have to share. I'll dump this outside, no need to draw in any animals ." Shale bit into her piece and tossed the branch outside.

Once she stepped inside, she couldn't help but laugh at how the engines were struggling to squeeze themselves all onto the small patch on the floor. Though they decided to leave the bench open for some reason. She leaned over them as they bickered, insisting that one of them was shoving to hard or that they had a twig caught in their foot. It was pretty funny to watch a bunch of engines at least 80 years older than her bicker like children.

"Guys, if there isn't enough room then one of you can take the bench. I'll take another one." She gestured to the other benches against the walls.

"But you need the best spot since your still damaged." Peter insisted.

"And I think there's a human rule that says boys and girls can't sleep in the same bed." Renneas pointed out.

"Why not? Man, human rules are stupid." Falcon mumbled

"I think they only sleep together if they really like each other though." Duncan mumbled. "Or somethin' like that, 'least that's what my driver said.'"

Shale just groaned and cut in before the conversation got awkward. "Okay, I'll take the bench for tonight. We'll just get some more branches tomorrow."

She curled onto her makeshift bed and Edward attempted to make squeeze himself along the rest of the engines. She shifted her position, one hand behind her head and the other laid across her stomach where the shirt didn't cover. The sky had darkened to a deep cooler and navy now. The last light of the sun poured through one of the windows above her.

She sighed while gingerly rubbing her bruises. 'Well, I guess I'm stuck with them for now.' Shale brushed her fingers against the faint scar across her forehead, frowning at the memories it brought.

'At least this time I know they won't screw me over. Won't they?' Shale knew the engines were genuine, bordering

on naive trust. But the thought that they'd end of making a decision that ended up with consequences for the rest of them lingered. It was always a possibility, but she didn't want to have to keep them on a leash tomorrow.

At least she wouldn't have to deal with that today.


	20. Chapter 20

A low rumbling noise made Shale bolt upwards, until she realized it was the engines snoring. She couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed for her overreaction and somewhat sore from the sudden movement upsetting her bruises. Since the engines were still fast asleep, she stepped off the bench and towards the door.

The ambient morning light stung her eyes and she moved her hand to shield her face. But once she adjusted, she made her way to one of the pre-cut bushes and began cutting of more branches.

She piled them alongside her before grabbing the bundles and making her way back to the cabin. Though as she reached inside, she was surprised to see Skarloey and Renneas were already awake and currently attempting to untangle themselves. She snickered to herself and both engines looked up, both flushing slightly.

"Shale, shouldn't you still be sleeping? You still need rest." Skarloey insisted.

"Nah, I'm a early riser. Good to see you are to." Shale dumped the pile of branches beside the door. "So, I guess we're heading out to the town today Renneas." She gestured to Skarloeys brother.

"Wait, me!" He pointed to himself, confused and surprised. "I mean, I apologize for my tone but why select me?"

"It's cause you and Skarloey are the most mature and the ones I trust the best to not do something dumb."

Skarloey knew what Shale meant, but he didn't exactly enjoy her wording. "To the others merit, they each have their own strengths. Our just happen to be preferable."

"I ain't denying that Scar. But it's both that and the fact that the others all respect you. So your the best voice of reason while I'm gone."

Skarloey looked back to the rest of the sleeping engines. Specifically, Edward. "But what happens if... well, you know. If Edward begins to panic again. What can I do?" His fingers began to twitch again.

"If something like that happens; then first give him some space. Wait for him to calm down, then try comfort him. If that doesn't work, then get the others to help out. Make sure to let him know he's safe, the last thing we need is him freaking out and running off into the forest."

The Eldest engine nodded and offered a firm handshake. "Thank you, Shale. I'll make sure that we'll keep Edward safe. How do you know so much about this?"

The red-head just shrugged. "Most of it's just common sense. To be honest, I've never had to deal with this.

She pulled her hand back whilst gently rubbing from the pressure. But she managed to crack a quick joke. "Heh, I'm counting on it Scarloey."

He seemed to shrink away after that comment. "O-of course, I promise Edward will be completely safe until your return."

Shale easily caught his stutter. "Scar, dude, that was a joke. But seriously, please keep him safe."

That made him relax as he followed the others to the door of the cabin. "Alright, please be safe as well Shale."

"Will do Skarloey." She saluted as she lead Renneas back towards the tree line. "C'mon, you'll watch my back."

He waved goodbye to his brother before tailing of towards her. "Thank you for believing in me, but is it alright to still be nervous?"

'Picks, I'm scared. I don't wanna get hurt.'

'Hey, that's alright Shale. I won't lie to you, but even though your gonna get hurt I know your stronger than this. I'll be there waiting, I promise.'

'Okay'

"Shale?"

"Yea, yea, it's alright to be scared. Its not good to try and repress fear, you can get over it easily." She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Wow, but is it really that simple."

"Give or take."

"Wow."

Renneas trailer behind her as she made her way back across the rails and towards the sheds. It was a long walk and at some points, Renneas considered picking her up and carrying her himself. She didn't seem that heavy. But he couldn't build up the courage to ask.

After what felt like an hour of walking they came across the clearing with the shed. Shale started to poke around the edge of the bushes until he realized what she was looking for. "Oh! Shale, the tunnel is over there." He gestured over to a small intent in the line of leaves.

"Huh, How did I not see that sooner?" She followed the engine to the area he pointed to, crouched, and crawled through.

"It's not your fault." He said

"Yea, still." Shale took point as she and Renneas crawled through. Even though it stung Shale to have pressure placed on the bruises layered across her legs. She just grit her teeth until the foliage opened up to the edges of the town. Shale sighed for a moment before stepping out to the sidewalk.

Mentally she began running through where they could find the thinks they needed while making her way to one of the alleys behind the stores. 'I could probably sneak some water bottles from the convince store, along with some matches. We can stop by the library. There could be something about survival or some students I could pickpocket. Gonna have to avoid the main streets. Those delivery trucks might still be open. Check those first.'

Renneas followed behind her quietly, though he was nervous about being the only one with her. He wished he had his brother or at least one of the other engines, but he could understand why she just wanted him. She didn't want to wake the other engines, or she didn't want to have to keep track of all of them as a group. He could understand that.

Shale lead them down towards towards the back of one of the corner stores and parked behind a open garage were a short line of vans filled with crates and various supplies. She could still see someone sitting by the window so she ducked behind a dumpster and pulled Renneas down with her.

"S-Shale? What are we going to do?" He asked. He peeked over the edge of the dumpster only for Shale to pull him back down.

Shale slapped a hand over his mouth before he could protest. "Sshh, keep quiet. We can't let them know we're here." She waited for a moment, but to Renneas it didn't look like she was doing anything. But Shale was listening for the click of the door opening and the sound of the van doors opening. She heard some of the men speaking, something heavily being dropped, then a door opening. Shale wanted another moment before running over to the back of the truck. That's when Shale motioned for Renneas to follow her as she ran out towards the open van.

"Shale? Shale what are you doing?" He asked in a hushed whisper. He watched as the red-head crawled into the back of the van and began stuffing items into her bag. "We aren't supposed to steal. Please, we can get fuel some other way."

She didn't turn around, but continued to fill her bag with some packaged foods and seven water bottles before she turned back and jumped out of the van, pulling Renneas along with her.

"Shale! Wait! Please just hear me out for a moment." Even though they only stopped after at least two blocks, she did stop. Shale leaned against the wall beside her.

"Alright Renneas, what's on your mind?"

"I said that we shouldn't be stealing, it's wrong. You could get in trouble for that if you were caught."

"Right." She rolled her eyes halfway before taking in a deep breath. "Look, how long do you think I've been at this for?"

"P-pardon?"

"I said, how long do you think I've had to do stuff like this to survive?" She repeated. "I'll answer that for ya, a long time. At least a year, probably more. If you want to survive then your gonna have to get used to this Renneas."

"But, couldn't you just ask them for food? I'm sure they have some to spare?"

"Yea, and guess where that probably goes." She made a patting motion to her stomach. "Clue; not here."

"Oh." Renneas looked across the streets. It was about mid-morning and people had begun walking down the streets and they were already gaining some odd stares. It made him want to duck back into the shadows again.

Shale felt the same, but it didn't show through. "C'mon, we should go. We still need more food for the others."

"Okay, is there anything I can do?" He started to fiddle again, although instead of his hands it was his collar. He still

Renneas simply nodded and followed her as she made her way to a storefront. It was small, and the only people inside were mostly adults, some with children in their arms or held hand in hand. As they walked in, the shopkeeper seemed to perk up instantly. She just ignored the stares and started walking down one of the isles with shelves filled with canned and bagged goods. Shale waited before slipping some small packages of food into her sleeves and then kept walking. Occasionally, she'd walk into view of the storekeeper and picked something random up form a shelf before placing it back down. He seemed to relax after a while and eventually went back to leaning against his palm with his elbow pressed against the countertop.

A mother and son holding some sort of toy were the closest to the entrance and the mother imminently started to push her son away from the entrance.

"Oh, hello!" Renneas kneeled down to look at the small human boy with a playful smile. "My name is Renneas, that certainly is a splend-"

He suddenly felt very uncomfortable and when he looked up, he saw the mother glaring down at him with a obviously distasteful expression. He recoiled back at her face and the mother lead her child away. Shale expected this reaction, but helped him up anyways.

He took her hand and Shale helped to pull him up. His expression looked hurt"I-I don't get it. I was being nice, why did she look at me like that?"

"That's what people do with the ones like us. If you don't look normal, then they think won't like you." She laughed to herself in a self-deprecating manner. "Not to mention I don't exactly look like a productive member of society. You could pull it of, but the grey skins a major turn of."

"But isn't it, well, not very polite to judge someone based on their appearance. I mean, you're a nice person. Even if, uhh, what I meant is that-" Renneas tried to find a good way to word his thoughts.

"Please, nobody thinks like that these days. Doubt they ever did." Shale shrugged, making her way over to one of the back shelves.

Renneas followed behind and he'd occasionally pick something else of the shelf, squint at it for a moment, then place it back where he'd found it before trailing after Shale. After half an hour of 'shopping', Shake began to turn back to the front and kept walking with various foods being stuffed into both her jacket sleeves, shoes, shirt, but not her bag. It was uncomfortable, sure. But it was worth it when one of the other workers walked up to her with a suspicious expression.

He made a 'give it over' motion to her. "Hey, hold out your bag."

Shale didn't resist and held out the ragged black school bag to him. He zipped open the sack and pulled out some of the other water bottles and some of the bags of food - which Shale just realized were some kind of chips and biscuits - but he placed then back in and handed it back to her.

"Sorry bout that, you can go now." He turned to the back and towards another customer. Renneas sighed in relief, this caused the worker to look back. Shale didn't wait for him to say anything else and yanked on Renneas sleeve and pulled both of them out. But not before he noticed a small wooden train laying on its side by the entrance.

Shale just passed it by, but he stopped to pick up the toy and turn it over in his hands. It was painted a familiar bright red that was chipped and faded in certain areas. That's when he recalled seeing the child at the front carrying this in his arms. At the same moment he heard a child voice crying out. He turned back to see that Shale had already left the store, but he couldn't just leave. He could probably find her later, for now he followed the voice of the child.

"Mommy! Mommy I lost him!"

"Be quiet, we can just get another one when we get back." He heard her scolding.

"B-but he'll be all alone. We need to find him mommy!"

"It's just a toy, you should have been more careful. Now we're going."

"B-but d-da-addy made h-h-him f-for m-me. He's s-spec-c-cia-al."

Renneas turned the corner to see the small child rubbing his sleeves against a tear streaked face. The mother looked over him, a impatient and irritated look on her face. He hesitated, but stepped forward and held out the small train to the boy.

"Umm, pardon my interruption but I believe I have your toy, little one." Renneas knelt down and held out the little engine in his palms.

Immediately, the little boy ran forward and snatched it out and cradled it close to his chest. He took a double take as if to reassure himself that it was still there. Then he looked up with puffy red eyes and a large grin forming over his face.

"T-t-thank you s-so much m-m-mister! You fo-ound him!" He then threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. Renneas was taken aback, but continued to smile warmly. Even as the mother looked on, not knowing how to react.

"Your welcome. It was my pleasure." He gently pat his back, a motion he'd seem repeated before. So he assumed it was some sort of comforting motion.

The boy was still smiling when he looked up, though he squinted and poked Renneas in the nose. "You look like my engine! See!" He held out the little train and he noticed it had a crude face painted on the smoke box. "My daddy made him for me! It's the same engine he drives!"

Renneas was suddenly struck with emotion when his mind connected the dots. The engine the boy was holding was himself. There was even a small number two painted onto the side of the cab. "Ohh, well that's very... um, very sweet of him."

The boy then ran back to his mother but pulled something out of the basket. When he ran back to him, he thrusted a small package into his chest. "Here! My Daddy always said to pay things for-war-d. These are my fav-or-ite cookies, but you can have them! Is that okay mommy?"

The mother still looked somewhat appalled, her mouth opened to argue but a kicked puppy look from her son made her expression soften. "Alright, but you know this means you don't get your cookies for this week."

"Uh-hu. But he gave me Re-rene-as back! So that's okay!" Said engine followed behind, fidgeting with his collar again. It was nice that the boy was being so kind, but this just reminded him of his loss all over again. The changes were real, as much as he didn't want it.

Eventually they made it back to the cashier - who gave him a confused glance - Renneas watched as the mother pulled out a billfold and was then handed back the box of food from the boy again. He gave one last word of thanks before stepping outside again.

"Wow, that was certainly lucky." She watched him stepping out of the store. She couldn't help but laugh slightly when he saw him jump in surprise.

"Oh, oh hello Shale." He replaced his smile and handed the box of cookies to her. "Sorry for not following you sooner, but I had to return something first."

He handed the box to her and she continued to walk as Shale stuffed it into her bag. "Never took you for being slight of hand type. I'm impressed."

"Slight of-pardon?" He asked confused, until he realized what he was applying. "Wait, no! I didn't steal this! A nice boy gave this to me after I returned his toy!"

Shale raised an eyebrow at this as she continued to walk. "Seriously? He just gave it to you? Doubt that."

"Well, his mother did have to pay for it, but I promise you I didn't steal this!" He repeated.

Shale paused for a moment. "Alright, I can tell your being honest. Still, that's pretty lucky for ya."

"How so?"

"Like I said, people don't like what's different from them."

"May I ask why? Not everyone can be like that."

Shale just sighed. "Look, this is probably still a lot to take in, but this is just how the world works for people like us. They don't care for us, so we care for ourselves. I wish it wasn't like this, but it is. Rich or poor, most of em' just care for themselves. We just have to live with what's left."

"Oh" He didn't say much after that. It probably struck a nerve, given that Topham probably never really cared for his engines. And wasn't that a fitting metaphor.

'This is how the world works, not like it's ever gonna change.'


	21. Chapter 21

**Also, PSA here, remember that comment I made about the engines being seen as 'eye candy' in one of the older chapters. Well... let's just say that it comes full circle here. Don't worry, you'll be able to tell where it starts. Just saying, I rated this 'K' for a reason.**

* * *

The streets had begun to fill with more people as the sun rose to its place in the sky. It was one of those rare days where clouds didn't shroud the sky, so you could actually see the sun. Shale always preferred the former, easier to sneak around unnoticed. Not to mention it captured the theme of the town better. Or maybe that was just her disposition.

Actually, it's was probably all three.

Shale stuck her hands in her pockets, shoulders tight by her side in anticipation as she walked though the crowd. Whenever she felt someone pass to close her hand twitched to her knifes hilt. Renneas followed behind, his posture was oddly formal. His hands were folded against his belly in a manner that reminded Shale of some posh business men. But the expression reminded her that he wasn't anything like those people. His eyes kept darting around the area, his hands would occasionally move to his collar. All in all, he looked nervous and non-threatening and with the aura Shale was giving of, it was needed.

They started to receive more of hand looks, but Shale usually ignored them. She just wanted to get to the library, find something useful and get out. Though the library was near the centre of the town so she would have to be wary of police officers, great.

The library was up ahead and when they walked in, the air outside sent a slight draft indoors but once the doors shut it was replaced with a much warmer temperature. Shale almost considered taking of her jacket, but it was both the only half decent piece of clothing she wore and the only thing to hide all the faded but still healing bruises. So she just pulled it tighter and walked inside. She passed the librarians desk and made her way to the back. She had only ever visited the library with Picks, but it was mostly to both teach her how to read and how to pickpocket sleeping or studying students. Though she also noticed that there were these large boxes near the back where a large group of kids in there teen years were congregating.

Before she went to investigate, she felt Renneas gently tap her shoulder. "Huh, what up?"

"Its just, since we're here I should confess something." He started adjusting his collar again.

Shale pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let me guess, you can't read."

"Well, not exactly. I do know a little bit of reading. But not that much, at least enough to be useful."

"Oh, that's not so bad." She shrugged and led them near to the back while skimming through the catalogs. "I can't really read either. I'm just looking for anything that happens to have a tree on it."

She started pulling out some of the books on the shelves, carrying the ones that had some kind of plant on the cover. Though she made an effort to try and choose some of the books meant for you he and more inexperienced readers. Renneas followed behind, though he'd sometimes open some of the book he pick of in a attempt to read. He usually placed them back after a few minutes. Shale had a large stack under each of her arms and Renneas offered to carry some of them more than once.

"Look, I'll be fine. Besides I wanted to look through these anyways." Shale walked over to one of the farther off desks and dropped the books unceremoniously. She pulled of the first and began flipping through the pages. Most of the books she had found were either kiddie nature books, large atlases meant for college teens or short biographies about the surrounding forests and the native wildlife. Shale relied heavily on the pictures and frequently flipped to the glossary for definitions and even still she had trouble with a majority of the words.

Though as for Renneas, he just stood by her. Not knowing what else he could do he began observing the other humans. He was still nervous, but also exited given how he'd always had begun to develop a slight interest in humans literature, despite not knowing how to read much at all. So after looking back to Shale, he tapped against her shoulder lightly. The later had already heard him coming and turned around to meet his gaze, it was obvious he was nervous since he started fighting with his collar again.

"Yea Renneas? Something wrong?" She dropped a arm over the backrest of the old wooden chair.

"Well I was just... you see I would, uh. If it isn't to much of a hassle-" He tried to find the best way to word what he had to say. Then he took a deep breath and moved his hands down to his side. "If you would spare the time and effort, then would it be possible if you could teach me how to read?"

Shale gave him a flat look as he mumbled the first part of his request but relaxed into a smile once he finally made his point clear. "Sure Ren, it'd make this a lot easier for the both of us anyways. I was actually wondering how long it'd take for ya to ask yourself." She pulled out a few books, though one marginally bigger than the rest . "Here, you can go through the smaller one, but hide it with the bigger one."

He smile grateful as he took the books into hand cautiously. Though he noticed a clear difference between the two, one having a somewhat cartoony cover whole the other featured black and white polaroid-style images of plants. "Uhh, I am incredibly thankful, but may I ask why you gave me two?"

"It's cause you need to act like your a student and it'd look suspicious if someone saw someone in their late teens reading a kiddie book. And attention is the last thing we need. Granted you still look suspicious anyways, but every bit counts and they might just think your wearing makeup or somethin'. Try to find a seat a little farther from me though, it's best we look like we don't know each other. Anyone with functioning eyes can tell I'm a street rat, but stay within earshot and my cone of vision. Scream if something goes wrong."

Renneas listened intently, but was caught off by her last instructions. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be quiet in places like this?"

She resisted the urge to facepalm. "That's what your worried about."

"Well, your other points are concerning. But it's just...well, I don't want to cause trouble for you."

"Hey man," She stepped up out of her chair and after a brief hesitation, set her hand against his shoulder. "That just means if you do scream out, then you actually mean it." Despite the layers Shale insisted on holding up, even she had to admit to letting them down. Granted she still kept a heavy guard, but it was hard to be strict or even generally displeased around him, or the rest of the Engines. Renneas was asking for permission, showing genuine concern and despite his experiences with some of the cruelest upbringings, was oddly trusting. All of which were rarities and traits she believed to be dead.

Along with traits she believed were almost useless.

Renneas nodded and after giving her hand a quick shake, made his way over to a nearby table. She took notice of the surroundings, close to the computers, small groups huddled around - probably researching something or playing games, one lone boy and identical twin. Both brown hair and eyed, load of books, people looking at them - whispering. Possibly famous? She kept them in mind as she went back to looking through the books.

::::

Renneas walked over to where he presumed the reading area was, given the assortment of different chairs. A majority were just simple wooden chairs but their were also plush - if somewhat worn - couches along with what seemed to be an array of colourful stuffed bags. He crouched over one and when he moved to inspect it, it wasn't filled with the soft material he expected. Rather, it was more akin to small pebbles. Well, if it was set beside the other chairs then it must've be meant to be sat on. So he moved to sit on the bag, only to sink almost immediately.

He yelped in surprise, but calmed after a moment. His legs were set at a odd angle and he had to struggle to push himself up again since his hand would sometimes sink into the bag. When he managed to stand up again, he picked up his books and instead moved over to the couch. He took a seat by the edge - thankfully not sinking in as deeply or as suddenly as before - and folded open the larger book. It was actually not as complex as he expected and despite not knowing a majority of the words, he found it very interesting. But he had to start small so he opened the smaller book inside the fold of the other.

The words in this one were much more basic and Renneas could understand the majority. Every so often he'd flick back to the larger book whenever he found something similar. Most of the pages were about the native plant life on the island, animals, plants, bugs, things like that. There were red and white 'caution' signs printed next to some of the images to show they were poisonous. Renneas made sure to bookmark those pages mentally and to show them of to Shale later.

He made his way through the first and most of the second book before he felt like someone was watching him. He turned his head up to look around but everyone else seemed unfocused on him or their own thing. So he turned back to reading. The temperature inside of the library was relatively warm and his own vest was already somewhat toasty. Even though this was a welcomed feeling as an engine, it felt vastly different as a human. His forehead felt damp and when he brushed his sleeves over he noticed a dark patch that felt moist.

The heat made his clothes felt scratchy so he unbuttoned his vest and laid it over the shoulder rest of the couch before attempting to continue reading. The heat began to dissipate but it was still uncomfortable, so he loosened some of the buttons around the collar and folded up his sleeves up past his elbow. Now he felt better, but the feeling of being watched was back again. He didn't even see who it was, so why did he feel so anxious? Renneas just tried to focus the best he could on reading again.

He kept his gaze focused in the words on the page of the larger book, he was beginning to understand some of the larger words now. But along with the carpeted floor, he didn't pick up on the soft click of heels in his direction. Renneas focus was finally snapped when he felt someone's hand draped over his shoulder and a sharp wold whistle behind him.

"Hey smart guy, mind lending you big brain over for a moment?"

He snapped his head to the side and almost jumped out of his seat. Another girl, not Shale, was leaning against the couch. Her eyes were half lidded and her gaze trailed up and down his body. He didn't know why, but his first instincts were to frown and tell her off. But he kept his expression polite, she did ask for help after all. "Of course, How may I help?"

She smiled and walked around to the front of the couch. That's when he got a better look at her outfit and in his terms, it was scandalous. A loose light red shirt with a semi-transparent material flowing down the sleeves and just barely cutting below her mid-drift. Her skirt was very short, ending halfway down her thighs. Her hair was bright blond with a streak of hot pink running through and draped around her smooth face and blue eyes along several silver chains hanging from her neck . By human standards she was rather pretty, but he didn't feel attracted.

Renneas didn't know how to react when she draped her arm over his shoulder and pressed closer into his personal space. She leaned over and looked at the page he was at and traced the outline of where his fingers were marked. "So, wanna give me a lesson?"

"I-I uh..." he went to tug at his open collar again, he started feeling warmer again. "I don't believe I am-I am entirely qualified for that."

"Ohh please, I can't even understand half of whatever's written here. Your definitely smarter than me." She smiled again, but it still somehow unnerved him.

"Well, then I suppose both of us will learn from this."

She started tracing up his hands. "Oh I'm sure I will."

"Were should we start then? Oh wait!" He flipped to the first page which, from what he could assume, detailed how each animal and plant co-existed on the island. "I suppose we should start at the beginning, unless you have somewhere else we would want to begin?"

He turned back to look at her, but for some reason she gave him a incredulous expression. But it disappeared into a tight smile. "Alright, you wanna play like that. But I'd be happy just listening to you all day."

"Oh, thank you." He smiled. So he began reading out loud some of the captions on the food-chain. He had to take a few moments to pronounce some of the words and afterwards he'd ask the girl if he got them right. But she always just give a quick 'go on' and he'd continue to read. Renneas would occasionally ask if she understood, but all she did was nod.

He started to wonder if she was even paying attention. About halfway through one page she began tracing up his forearm. "Y'know, for a nerd you're real chiseled out."

"Ahh, thank you?" Renneas didn't expect comments like this. He didn't even expect that he'd be attractive to humans.

She leaned forward and placed a hand over his abs. "Y'know, I've got a thing for your type; dark, muscled and nerdy. Sure you don't wanna take this somewhere more private?"

Renneas knew she wasn't panting attention now and he certainly wasn't fond of his current position. "I-I don't understand but-but could you please move back. Your making very-mfp!"

"Ssh, don't try to deny it. You know what I want, I know what you want. You should be grateful that I've taken interest in you."

Alright, that was it.

Renneas was about to pull her hand if and protest imminently, but it seemed like someone was about to do it for him. Then he felt someone grabbed the others girl and pulled her of. But he didn't notice at first, he hadn't realized but he'd closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes he saw another girl, this one with simple brown hair and eyes along with a boy who looked like her twin. She and the other boy were currently yelling at each other. It would've escalated if the librarian hadn't hushed both of them and yelled for them to break it up.

Shale stomped over halfway through and along with several threats to take this outside (they had to hold her back when it looked like Shale was going to attack her) but they managed to get her to leave. She pouted at first, until Shale grabbed her by one of the necklaces and practically forced her back. Shale then imminently stepped between the twins and Edward, glaring daggers at them.

"If you guys were in on this, then you better run like hell once you step outside." Her hand was now firmly clasped over the handle and the twins seemed to take notice, backing of imminently.

"Shale don't!" Renneas turned to face her, eying the knife. "Please, you misunderstood. They were the first to intervene."

Anger still coursed behind her eyes, they were practically burning. Her other fist was shaking and her nails dug into her palms. "To bad I still want to turn her skin as red as that shirt."

All three of them went wide eyed at that and the boy stepped forward. "C'mon, she's gone. It's not your fault."

"Then how come you had to step in when it should've been me?" She snapped back. 'Stupid, why didn't you notice sooner.'

"Shale, please. I don't blame you for what happened. So please don't blame yourself."

She was going to snap back again, but instead just growled to herself. Even though this still set both of the twins on edge. Shale was more angry with herself than the other three, she should've noticed sooner if she paid attention better. It was one of the street smarts that actually carried over to most other things she did. "Still, I should've done something." She mumbled to herself.

"Well she didn't hurt me, so that's good." Renneas pushed down his sleeves and pulled on his vest. "Though I don't understand what just happened there, but it certainly was uncomfortable."

That made the three humans cringe both internally and slightly externally. They looked to each other and they all had the same thoughts 'Are you gonna tell him? Cause I won't.' In the end, Shale just broke the silence. "What she did was definitely wrong by human standards, let's leave it at that."

"Agreed." The twins stated simultaneously.

"Wow, nice sinc you two." She commented.

"Yea, comes with being twins." The man smiled. "Wait, no that's obvious, of course we look like twins."

The sister moved a hand to cover the side of her mouth mockingly. "For a computer nerd, you think he'd be smarter."

"I said I'm a hacker." He mumbled. But he still smiled anyways.

Renneas held out his hand for a shake and the boy returned the gesture."Well then, I am very grateful for your help Mister and Miss, uhh."

He seemed surprised, Shale took note of the reaction. "Please, drop the formalities. I'm Stephen."

"Names Bridget." The girl waved.

Stephen gave Renneas a curious expression. "Wow, that's some pretty good makeup man."

"Yea it's pretty good, kinda reminds me of the engines." Bridget added, but then her expression turned somber, then angry. "I wonder if any of em' are still out there?"

That's when Renneas felt something click mentally. He'd seen these two before, only they were much younger and he was much larger. Not to mention metal. He pulled away imminently, though he tried not to show his fear it was still visible to Shale. He began tugging at his collar again.

"One sec, I think Ren needs to take a step outside for a sec." Shale pulled him by the arm and out to the exit. But not before stuffing the books he'd been reading in her bag. She spotted a fire exit near the back and after a quick glance behind, pushed the door open. Thankfully, nobody noticed her and Renneas slipping out.

At this point, he seemed to relax and didn't protest when Shale lead him away from the library and back to the edges of town. Both of them sat against the short rock ledge against the sidewalk by the entrance back into the forest. She offered Renneas the book, but he seemed more focused on the cracks in the pavement.

Eventually she broke the silence. "Somethings wrong Ren, don't try to hide it." All he did was give a slight nod. "It was those twins, wasn't it? You knew them when you were Engines."

He nodded again. "Alright, but that can't be enough to make you so nervous. Even if they are human. So they probably worked on the railway with you then, or you had some kind of interactions with them. Whatever it was, it was probably negative."

"A-actually, I knew them as children." He finally spoke up.

"So what, did they mess with your controls or something?"

"Heh, no. They were actually rather polite for children of their age. It's just... it's not them that I'm scared of."

Shale shifted closer over to Renneas. "Who? I mean, I'm sorry if that brings up bad memories, but it'd be better if I knew who I'm supposed to avoid. But you don't need to talk."

He swallowed hard and Shale watched his Adam's apple bob. "I-It was th-the-ir father. He was also m-my friends controller and-" Renneas hands moved to his lap and balled his fists. "And he was also their killer."


	22. Chapter 22

The walk back was quiet, but their was an uncomfortable air between then. Like something set to soon or to late. Shale guesses that Renneas was either feeling scared, angry, worried for the others, something else, all four or a mix of them and several others. Either way, she planned on breaking the news to the others anyways. She made sure to ask later on what had happened to Topham anyways. Hopefully he was sealed away in some fanciful box six feet under, in the dirt where he belongs.

They stepped through the worn down trail through the branches and back to the lake and their cabin. Though Shale didn't expect to see then all huddled around the stroked fire and they all seemed to be wearing some kind of vine crown with colourful foliage stuck in between. Each seemed to be colour coded. Skarloey had several small branches with red buds and leaves tucked in, Rusty had a array of bright orange leaves hanging around and over his head, Falcons was spotted with both dark purple leaves and some small blue flowers sewed in, Edwards was a mix of bright red clusters of berries and yellow leaves along with bright blue petals and a feather and Peter Sams was filled with small clipping from pine trees, some blades of grass and she though she saw a acorn tucked up there. Even Duncan had one on his head with bright golden leaves what she could guess were tiny buttercups.

She couldn't help but think it looked childish but it was also rather sweet.

Renneas coughed subtly, and she lead him forward. She shook out those thoughts and stepped towards the fire pit. Each of the engines waved hello once they saw her coming, she felt awkward for disturbing their discussions but gave a short wave back anyways. She sat down, opened up her bag and pulled out the books and water.

"Heya guys, sorry I had to leave early." She passed the bottles around to the engines. "Glad to see you managed to figure out how to light a fire. Any of of you got burned?"

"No, I believe we're alright." Skarloey turned over his hand. "At least I think I am."

"Right, that's gonna be a hassle to track since you can't feel pain." She said. Ironically, some days she thought it would be much easier if she couldn't feel pain. But now that she gave it more thought it had several drawbacks. Infections could set in without knowing, you could bleed out or starve without knowing it.

When the bottles of water made it to everyone's hands, she showed then how to open the caps by twisting the lids. Some of them, such as Duncan, tried straight up pulling them off and it actually worked. Though he also succeeded in the water being shot upwards into his face but at least it didn't all spill out. Duncan coughed hard as he tried to wipe away the water that went into his nose and eyes while the others watched and laughed. Though Skarloey was kind enough to at least take his bottle out of his hands and trade it with his own which was still sealed.

"Look, you gotta twist it to open it. Like this." She grabbed the lid and twisted it so it opened. The other copied the motion but only some of them managed to open.

"Uhh, I think I did it wrong." Peter frowned as he began observing the bottle from different angles.

"Don't worry, just try twisting it in the opposite direction. And be careful when you guys take a swig. Don't just tip it back, take small sips."

The others eventually opened the lids easily enough and were careful taking their first steps and thankfully none of them choked. Though Duncan mumbled angrily to himself as water dripped from his mohawk and causes it to fall limp, which Shale had to admit it looked hilarious but didn't which she made evident.

"Oh shut up ya rust-head. It ain't that funny." He mumbled.

"Yea...no, it's that funny." She smirked. She opened her bag and laid out some of the small boxes of cereal, fruits and several smaller treats and the box of cookies she got from the boy. Shale opened up one of the cereal boxes and stuffed a handful into her mouth after handing one to the rest of the engines.

She took a moment to swallow before talking. "Anyhow, I got those books. So now we've got an idea of what we can and can't use, not to mention you guys'll finally get a proper chance to read." Shale pulled out the books carefully and set them on her lap, flipping through the pages. "Renneas, did you pick up on anything?"

Shale already knew the basics and the do's and don'ts of plants; don't risk eating if you don't know, leaves of three-let it be and cross check anything you find. She just wanted to see if Renneas picked up on these as well, she had faith he did but wanted reassurance. He looked nervous with being put under the spotlight again, the fiddling was back. But it stopped when Skarloey gave him a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

He took a breath before starting. "While I do not recall much, the authors of both books made sure to repeat that we should not eat anything we find without being sure that it's safe. No mater how tempting. Umm... I think they also wrote about something on a very common but dangerous plant they called Poison Ivy. They even added a short slogan to help remember this; leaves of three, then let it be. Also, even if we do find something that could be eaten to check it with a book."

Shale was about to cut in, surprised that he did remember everything she expected, he continued speaking. "Oh, they also drew a picture that showed how each animal in a forest was connected. I think it was called a 'Food Web'? But it was very interesting seeing how each thing was connected, as in how the trees provide for the squirrels who then provide more trees and also act as food for Falcons."

"What? But you'd never eat a squirrel!" Peter exclaimed. "You didn't, did you? You couldn't do that. Their so fluffy and cute and-"

"Geez, I don't even think we coulda eaten as engines." Duncan rolled his eyes. "And he ain't talkin bout' 'im. It's those big birds that live on the mountain cliffs, the ones passengers always liked takin pictures of."

"They are rather beautiful creatures, so I can understand why." Renneas added.

"Well I'm the better Falcon anyways." Said the appropriately named engine.

"Better at being a nuance, that's for sure." Duncan mumbled.

That causes another uproar of laughter from the others. Even though Shale still felt bitter, no, more neglected. But it was nice to get confirmation of her theory. It showed that they were learning how to be humans, even if they still had some kinks to work out and some edges to smooth over it seemed to be going smoothly for now. And really, she was fine with it. Famous last words.

She decided to cut in. "Anyways, good to see you guys listened. Makes things easier for me."

"Oh, sorry Shale. I didn't mean to overtake you." He apologized.

She shrugged. "Meh, not like it's gonna matter down the line." A random thought just came to her, she still didn't clean her bandana. She'd have to get that eventually and she moved to walk back to the cabin but Edward seemed to have the same idea.

"Wait, Shale I can get what you need. Uhh," he paused. "Is it your bandana?"

"Yea but it's fine, I can get it." Shale waved him away.

"But don't you have something to say? It's alright, I can find it for you."

"Edward-" She considered arguing again but then she had an idea. "Okay, sure Eddy. I can wait here."

He nodded and then made his way back into the cabin. When he was far enough away she turned to the rest of the engines. "So, how is Edward fairing. Is he still stable?" Shales logic was that since she was the first person (presumably) he'd seem, he might have formed a sort of dependence on her. An idea that both annoyed and humbled her. But in a way, she enjoys whatever you could call their relationship. It certainly wasn't in a romantic sense - he was almost a century older than her. She felt it more akin to a brotherly one, which was still a odd comparison since, again, he was old enough to be her grandfather.

But she still enjoyed it. It was one of the big reasons she decided to remain with the engines at all. And part of her though the others believed the same.

The others looked to her and surprisingly, none of them looked concerned. If anything they seemed somewhat awkward. "Actually, Edward seemed alright once he woke up. Though he was very concerned by the fact you left without warning. Thankfully, he didn't have any sort of panic attacks."

"Meh, he was kinda quiet though." Falcon commented.

Shale frowned slightly, she didn't know what to make of this. "Go on, what else happened while we were gone?"

"We did manage to light the fire again." Rusty spoke up. "Though I think I burnt part of my sweater." He tugged at the tip of his sleeves and she could see how it was charred black. It she couldn't tell if his skin was burned too, or at least if it was it wasn't obvious.

"Skin doesn't feel funny? Anything feels off?" She asked.

"Hmm." He grazed the skin of his wrists. "It does feel a little warm and somewhat rough. Is that a sign of damage?"

"Anyways, why are we talking about Edward behind his back like this?" Falcon asked quizzical. "Not like he's gonna judge us for it."

"I just... I don't know. I guess I just want an unbiased opinion." Shale mumble. She didn't have any good excuse, but it wasn't a big deal. "I just didn't want Edward to feel uncomfortable if he did get a panic attack. Though now I can see that never happened."

"Oh." Once again, the engines didn't know how to respond. The silence only continued for a minute this time before Renneas spoke up. "Shale, didn't you want to teach the others how to read?"

"Yea, how much can you guys read anyways?" She asked.

"We can read." Skarloey began. "Though I admit it isn't much, mostly just basic signs and certain town signs."

"Wait, then how'd you all learn how to speak all fancy-y?"

"It's mostly because of the other humans we were around along with the fact that we never really did need to learn how to speak, it was just something we learned over time."

"Huh, that kinda weird." Shale mumbled. "I mean, weird as in I don't really get how that works. But hey, that makes it easier to learn. I guess. Here, try reading this out loud. I'm gonna clean out my bandana."

She handed some of the simpler books to Renneas and Skarloey. "Here, be careful with these. Don't drop em and don't let em near the fire." Shale stepped over to the water and rubbed the stains out. The black marks on her bandana began to leach out and she could see that the water above the bandana had taken on a slight waver and hue.

Peter was currently sharing his book with Falcon and were going through one of the pages covered with illustrations of native flowers. He pointed to one with bright red one with four petals each. "Huh, how do you pronounce this name?"

"Pe-pe-tu-ni-as." Falcon sounded out. "Weird name for a flower. Didn't you use those for her crown thingy Stuart?"

"Oh so that's what their called." Peter pulled up another vine crown. This one was made of a mix of vines and thin maroon branches. Bright red flowers were tied by the stems to the crown and around the edges were small bundles of grasses and leaves. He got up from his seat right as Shale began wringing out her bandana. Now most of the stains were gone and the colour had gone from muddy green to a deep aqua shade. She pulled up her hair and tied the bandana so it pushed her rust red hair back from her forehead, even though some strands fell past.

Shale turned back to see Peter standing behind her, rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands behind his back. She cocked an eyebrow. "Heya Peter, having problems reading?"

"No, it's nothing like that." He beamed. Shale couldn't help but think he was up to something malicious, like pushing her into the lake, but she knew the engines were beyond that.

"C'mon then, I know your hiding something."

He presented the vine crown with his hands folded outward, eyes alight with happiness. "Ta-da!"

Shale had to admit, she was impressed. Despite the drastic lack of resources Peter managed well and it did look very pretty. She'd seem his work with the rest of the engines crowns but she was grateful he'd made one for her as well. She set it on her head and took a sniff, she could still smell the flowers. Only a few moments after she pulled him into a quick hug. Peter yelped in shock but then gave a soft laugh. Shale grit her teeth and pulled away, thinking he didn't want that while silently berating herself.

"Uhh, sorry bout that Peter." said Shale, pulling back with fist at her side. "Thanks for the crown though."

He stared at her, confused. "Wait what do you - Oh! No, no that's alright Shale. I didn't mind, I'm just glad your happy."

"Seriously Pete? No awkward feelings? You ain't uncomfortable?"

"Yea, I mean, your just happy." His expression turned concerned. "Are you not happy? Did something happen while you were gone?"

"No, no I'm alright." Shale cut him of. She leaned over to see that the rest of the engines were watching anxiously. "Anyways, how are the rest of you doing?"

Skarloey perked up at her question. "So far so good, I admit to having trouble but it is rather confusing at some points."

"Yea, but I still don't get why we gotta learn this." Duncan grumble

"It's more from a practical standpoint, Duncan." Renneas said. "If we can learn how to read then it will be easier to understand written information. Also, because we've decided to make out she'd near the forest and since these books are about the native forests we may be able to learn about how we may be able to benefit."

"True not to mention we still have a lot to learn about being humans and it's not gonna be easy." Falcon added.

"And I admit I've begun to gain a curiosity for human literature. Perhaps next time we could stop by one of those news stands?"

Shale watched as the engines kept chatting amongst themselves. The slight cough was the only noise she made as she fiddled with the small atlas in her lap. She didn't feel like she had anything important to say, they seemed to grasp the main ideas of why she wanted - why they needed to learn to read. So she flipped through her own book and tried to understand a majority of the words, she wasn't very literate herself. Shale heard someone stepping up beside her, she already had a clue as to who. Edward was the only one not talking.

"Hello Shale." He sat beside her, hands in his lap and still smiling. He reached out to her open back but pulled back and turned to see Shale making a 'go on' gesture before reaching in. "So, how do you feel? Do you still feel damaged?"

"Hmm? Nah, it's healing pretty wel-" She paused to cough again, where did that come from? "well, just ignore that."

Edward gave her a skeptical glance but didn't say anything. Instead he went back to rummaging and pulled out the box of chocolate chip cookies and after a few moments to inspect the box, pulled open the tabs and handed it to Shale. "Here. You'll heal faster if you eat."

She mumbled a quick 'thanks' before digging in and taking a small handful. Edward placed the box down and tilted his head to get a better look at the atlas. She noticed his gaze and brushed some crumbs of before handing it to him. He smiled and took it with both hands, flipping through the pages. Shale dug around her bag before finding what she was looking for. Two small, slightly crushed oranges. She pulled out her knife and began peeling the skins with her knife. She laid the skins beside her on the log and handed one to Edward.

"Look what I found. Seemed familiar?" She asked. Edward looked confused but took the fruit regardless. It took a demonstration from Shale peeling out a piece and popping it into her mouth for him to learn how to eat it. "It's the first thing I gave you when you met me under the tree."

His eyes went wide for a moment. Shale though he was going to have another panic attack but instead his head fell limp over the book. "Eddie? Sorry mate, didn't mean to stir up bad memories."

"N-no it's alright. Just thinking."

"Alright. Do you wanna talk?" She watched Edward fiddled with the small cloud shaped charm and chain. Shale just turned back to her orange. She perked up when she heard him again.

"It's about my friends again." He choked out. "I wonder if... if we're all that's left or if the other are alright. Or perhaps they're still... still who we remember them as."

She saw how some of the other engines noticed Edward. She looked down to see that the juice from his orange had begun leaking through his closed fist. "I know it's a childish thought, but I can't help but hope there are others out there. They can't have changed all of us at once, could they? And if they are still alive, then what can we do? There has to be something, anything we could do to help. I..."

The rest of the engines fell silent, clinging onto each word. Shale leaned in slightly since his words were barely audible.

"I can't live with myself knowing I could've done something. I can't let them end up like my friends."

Shale leaned out, part of her wanting to argue against but one glance to the engines showed that they all had similar thoughts. Even if they hadn't heard Edwards. She had hoped this subject didn't come up again, this was far out of her league. This wasn't just some street gang, this was up in the big leagues. The suits, the corporate big wigs and the ones pulling the strings.

Falcon was the first to break the silence. "Edward has a point, what if there are other engines out there? What about the others like us? Arn't we gonna do anything about that, cause I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who can!"

"Falcon, please be rational." Renneas cut in.

"Well, he does have a fair point." Rusty added. "We may be the only living machines that escaped, thus we may be the only ones who could rescue the others. I'm sure it's dangerous and I'm sure it's risky. But I agree with Edward, we need to do _something."_

"That doesn't me we _can_ do anything."

All eyes were on Shale now. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but there was no backing down. "Look, it's great and all that you wanna rescue your friends but do you even know where to start? We don't have any resources, most of you just started to read. How much better will we fare against the ones who made you?"

She sighed. "I admit, I don't know where your coming from. But here's my advice, if you want to stay alive, then stay under the radar. It's survival of the fittest; rich against the poor. There's nothing we can do to stop them and I don't intend to throw my life away trying. This is how the world works and I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do."

* * *

1) Symbolism of the Petunia Flower. The petunia flower symbolizes **anger** and resentment especially when they are presented by someone with whom you have recently had a heated disagreement. ... According to some sources, petunias are also **a symbol of** **not losing hope.**


	23. Chapter 23

Shale let that sink in. She'd been holding this back for a while, not wanting to scare them off, but she wasn't lying. To her, it was the one and only truth in her world. It was her truth. It was a matter of time they learned. Though Shale could tell that none of the others enjoyed learning this, their expressions ranged from shock, sadness, anger and in Skarloey case, quiet contemplation. They were all quiet as Shale began repacking the remaining snacks. She counted. Less than half had been eaten but she'd have to find more since this wouldn't last more than another day, maybe more if Shale skipped a meal. She definitely didn't feel like going back into the town after the incident with those twins and that stray hooker.

'The world ain't slowin' down for ya, kid. Ain't gonna stop ta pull ya up either, not people like us. Just something we gotta live with.'

She had to break the silence eventuality. Suddenly, she broke out in a string of hard coughs that left her shaking for a moment. Shale cleared her throat and brushed a hand back against her forehead and found it oddly damp. "So, yea. My old base's got some useful stuff there, so any of you blokes wanna help me out?"

They looked to each other. She noticed Rusty hesitate, but he sat up eventually. "Here, I'm willing to assist."

"Kay." Shale sat up, clearing his throat again. This cough came out of nowhere, why now? "Thanks, any other volunteers?"

The engines looked to each other again. Shale didn't expect any of them to sit up again so she just set of. "Whatever. It ain't much, can't be that hard." Though the fact that everything was up in a tree would indeed make things harder. But she'd manage, she always had.

"Shale!" She turned to see, no surprise, Edward running up behind her. "May... May I also assist? I'm sure I could help load cargo. And I would like to see your old shed."

She smiled, glad to see Edward was still willing to follow along. "Sure Eddie, still feeling alright?"

He simply nodded but the smile remained. She saluted of to the others. "So, yea. We'll be back in bout an hour. Give or take." And with that, she led the others back to her old home.

Shale admitted that she was only vaguely sure as to where it was. Though it wasn't so hard to find if you bothered to look up. Shale followed the tracks back to the old narrow gauge shed. She rubbed at her elbow subconsciously, she could still remember falling into their. Come to think of it, wasn't that old laboratory close by? Shale made a mental note of that along with remembering to keep Edward away from there. Shale walked around the edge of the valley and broke through the brush, ignoring the stiff branches smacking against her.

She looked down to see a faded dirt path layered with trampled leaves and foliage. The laboratory was behind her so she made sure to set forward, occasionally looking up to watch for any sign of her platform hanging within the trees. The tree it hung from was a pine, oddly sturdy, and she had built it up rather high.

As it came into view, Shale could see the large shadow it cast onto the ground and once she looked up there it was. "So, Rusty was it? Do you mind waiting down here? I'll go and collect everything up there."

The scruffy haired boys took a moment to a moment to squint up at the tree Shale pointed at. "Wait." Rusty realized. "Your going to climb that?!"

Shale had already turned to start climbing. "Yea? So?"

"Well I mean," he took another glance up the tree. "Isn't that dangerous? What if you fell?"

She rolled her eyes once she turned back to the trunk of the tree. "Nah, I've been doin' this for a year. Haven't died yet." She left out the part being the one time she did fall. A stray branch snapped and she didn't manage to grab onto another in time and despite landing on her feet she fell backwards and was left picking out fallen pine bark out of her jacket for weeks. But other than that, she'd never had any injuries. Nothing major at least.

She pulled herself up onto the closest branch and after getting a stable footing, grabbed the next branch and set her foot on the one below. Shale had a path among the branches and thus, never had much trouble. Each of the branches supported her weight which wasn't much to begin with. It didn't take much time for her to reach the first platform. Other than some stray droplets of water or a small puddle, everything looked the same. As if nothing had ever changed. She pulled herself up and walked around before taking a seat near the edge where the branches cleared enough to let the sky peak through. Shale was struck with sudden nostalgia, same patch of sky from the same morning she met Edward, same patch of sky where she spent her first night alone. She frowned and shook her head, she didn't think of herself as the sentimental type.

Off the top of her head, Shale knew the tarps that hung around adjacent trees were filled with spare jars of food, old news papers and books she had stolen, coils of rope, a folded square of hole-ridden fabric along with various odds and ends.

Unfortunately, Shale had no idea what held what. And after untying one of the tarp bags to check it's contents (some old dented pots with a rusted handle, why did she steal this?) she decided it would be better to keep everything a mystery and just load it down. Though not all the bags were tied to the same branch and Shale had to climb onto other branches just to untie some. All the while regretting why she chose a pine tree as her base.

She was in the middle of reaching for a particularly far our branch when the lower one supporting her foot snapped. Shale gave a low yelp of shock and struggled to get a good grip. She was left scrambling to grab onto another branch and catch her footing, thankfully not falling. She felt oddly short of breath and coughed several times again.

"Shale? Shale are you feeling alright?" She heard Edwards voice float up faintly. Her nails bit into the palms of her hands as she tried to curb the noise.

"Fi-" she took a moment to clear her throat again. "I'm fine. Just give me a sec, I'll get everything down." She pulled down the last bag before gathering them all into a small pile before tying each bag together again and slinging it over her shoulders as she began to descend.

She had to glance down occasionally to make sure her footing was solid but other than that, it wasn't as hard. Rusty looked up and reached to grab at the bags. "Here, Shale, here. Please, I can take this."

She looked down and noticed him reaching out. So she unslung the bags and Rusty managed to catch both. "Alright I'm gonna have to make a couple more trips. Maybe three or four, give or take. Sorry I'm keeping you two here, probably isn't the most exciting."

::::

Rusty watched as Shale began climbing back up again. He had a feeling that it'd take longer for Shale to gather everything given how she was still damaged.

He frowned slightly, feeling bad and wanting to do more. Though he doubted he'd be much help in climbing up the tree. He didn't trust himself to keep his balance, let alone know where to place his footing. But he looked up the tree to watch Shale scale it herself. Rusty noticed how Edward was watching as well, he felt himself wanting to comfort his friend if it helped to ease the concern of his face. Neither were aware that they shared the same thoughts surrounding what Shale had told them. Rusty hadn't expected to be shot down so quickly, granted, the idea was incredible far fetched but he did believe they had some sort of obligation to help. Be it big or small.

Edward had slumped against the trunk of the tree and slid to the ground. He brushed up a hand against the hair that had fallen against his face. Rusty crouched over and took a seat beside him. "Edward? Do you feel alright? What's wrong? Talk to me?"

He heard his friend sigh. "I'm sorry but... would it be alright if I said no?"

"That's valid, you don't need to talk if you don't want to." Rusty leaned against the tree. He just noticed the unique smell it gave of. He stepped up for a moment and plucked a small cluster of needles. They were long and thin, slightly waxy but very pointed at the tips.

He absently traced the needles and let his mind wander back to what Shale said. Rusty let the silence stretch on. Shale climbed down again and this time, Edward stepped up to catch the sacks.

Once she climbed back up, Rusty turned to Edward after a quick glance up into the tree. "Edward, why do you think Shale was discouraging our idea?"

"Hmm?"

"About our friends, the other engines and machines." Rusty explained. "I don't mean to speak ill behind her back but she does unfortunately have a point. Just because we don't have any resources or information doesn't mean we can't find it all yourself. Falcon had a point, we may be the only ones who can do anything. We should at least try."

Edward gave a weak smile. But his face was still turned down. "True, True. Though I've begun to wonder if there is anything of them left to find. And if their is, would they still remember us? Or would they fear us for our new bodies?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that." Rusty mumbled. "Though it is fairly obvious that we aren't completely human."

"Heh, true." Edward gave a faint laugh.

They were both broken when they heard another string of loud coughs. Edward immediately looked up to see Shale sitting on a branch a few feet above, coughing hard with two sets of bags slung over her shoulders. One of them slipped over but as Shale noticed and made a failed attempt to catch it. Thankfully both Rusty and Edward were roughly below where it fell and managed to catch both bags before they crashed.

"Shale? Shale, we can just come back at a later date." Edward pleaded. "You seem to be catching a, what do humans call it?"

"I think it's a cold." Said Rusty

"Yes, a cold. Anyways I doubt anyone else will take these anyways. We could always return later."

Shale silently berated herself but shook off their advice and set down the second bag. She began climbing again but was stopped when she felt someone grab at her heel.

"Shale, ple-"

Instinctively she kicked the hand off and began climbing again. Though she didn't look down to see Rusty had a hurt expression. He sunk back down against the tree while Shale grappled the last two bags and flung them over her shoulders. Though she had to pause and sit at the edge of her platform to catch her breath while restraining herself from coughing again. She gritted her teeth as she descended one last time, jumping down once she was a third of the way to the ground.

"Kay, thanks for catching these. Guess we're all carrying one." Shale adjusted the fabric slung over her shoulder and began walking again. The engines both looked to each other before copying Shales motions and followed her back. Her legs were sore from the climb and she felt a sharp pain forming around her rib cage but she just ignored it and kept walking.

"Shale?" Rusty stepped behind. Shales pace had begun to slow and both of them slowed their own. She noticed this but still tried to keep her speed with theirs. "Shale, how many times must we ask you to rest? We can take your load if you need to."

"Guys I'll ask for help when I need help." Shale said. "It's just a cough, nothing serious. It'll just go away in a day or two."

Rusty frowned. This girl was almost as stubborn as Falcon on a bad day, perhaps even Duncan. He did admire her persistence but it would be best for her in the long term if she did rest. But Shale managed to keep her pace for the rest of the walk.

:=====:

Once they got back to camp, Shale dumped the bags by the fireplace. She'd worked up a bad cough and felt a hard stitch in her side forming. All the while Rusty and Edward insisted on her resting. So she did, reluctantly taking a short nap within the cabin.

Meanwhile, some of the other engines had taken some of the books and gathered inside and sat in a circle as they read. Each of the engines were paired off, Skarloey with Renneas and Rusty with Duncan. They had set the books in the middle of their loose circle and would flip through each of the pages and occasionally would trade one book for another. They all read in relative silence, except for the occasional question as to what a word meant or a offhand comment.

Though Duncan suddenly flipped his book shut and threw it down at the pile, causing them to scatter. Rusty went to gather everything while Skarloey stood up to scold him.

"Duncan, at least try to be gentle with these. These books aren't ours and we have to return them eventually." He stated.

"Something's wrong, isn't it Duncan?" Renneas closed his own atlas, bookmarked with a fallen leaf. "It's about Shale, isn't it."

Each of them went quiet again. Duncan simply folded his arms and leaned against the bench. "Yea, that's it. It all her talk 'bout being careful 'nd stayin' hidden. No way are we gonna stand and take everything those damned human throw at us while they take everything. It ain't fair."

"Not saying I don't agree-" Rusty started

"So what?" Duncan yelled. "We're just gonna sit on our flabby arses while the rest of our friends are turned to scrap?"

"Duncan." Skarloey stood up and grabbed at his arm. "Restrain yourself. Rusty wasn't even finished speaking yet."

The volatile engine yanged his arm out and sat on the bench. Arms still crossed but he made a sharp 'go on' motion with his head.

Rusty cleared his throat before he continued. "What I meant to say is that while I do agree, we don't know where to start. Finding Edward was a rather large stroke of luck for us and Shale. We need a place to start searching, somewhere they may be containing the others."

"That's easy." Duncan butted in again. "Their probably keeping 'em close to where we used to work. They wanted us to keep doin' what we did so we should start there."

Rusty didn't enjoy the interruption but continued. "True, but we don't have any exact locations. We'll need to find some sort of map. And even if we do, if they're still engines, where would we hide them? This is what we should ask before we go through with our plan."

Skarloey and Renneas glanced at each other before the former stepped up. "I am proud of how meticulously you've thought this through. Though what about Shale? I doubt she would agree with this plan."

This time, both Rusty and Suncan raised an eyebrow. "And you don't?" Rusty asked quizzically.

"No, of course I want to help our friends." Skarloey claimed. "It's just… I don't know how Shale would react to us scheming behind her back." A part of him was also just generally concerned for her. She was so young to be on her own, he didn't believe it was healthy. Granted he had no bases for that assumption but he still didn't like the idea of her raging of.

"Bah." Duncan waved a hand dismissively. "If it comes down to it we could probably just give her the slip."

"But what about Edward?" Rusty asked.

"Oh." Duncan was suddenly very interested in the grain of the floorboards.

"Edward does seem to be somewhat attached to Shale. I don't know if he'd be willing to split away from her."

"But we're his friends to, wouldn't he wanna go with us?"

"We are his friends, Duncan." Skarloey said. "But so is Shale."


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, sorry that I missed the last weeks AGAIN! So I've decided something - don't worry it's nothing extreme - just wanted to change my upload to a bi-weekly schedule. Just so everything is easier to manage. Again, high school is a thing but I do have to remember to write every so often.**

* * *

Shale sat with her makeshift fishing rod leaning against the same log she sat on. She had sorted out some of the more intact pots and had each of them filled with water and placed over the re-stoked fire. Shale had explained to the Peter, Falcon and Edward that this was a classic method for cleaning water. Though she didn't know how long it would need to boil for. So when Peter asked when he could have another drink, she told him that regular water bottles were safer for now.

She looked up to the sky. Clouds were spotted against the sky but Shale could make out the sun high above. She recounted all the remaining food they had. Some of the food she had from her base was expired but it was still, mostly, edible. So that might last them about two days and a half, double that if she skipped breakfast and dinner. She sighed as she sat up from her sorting and went back to gathering more firewood.

But she paused, she could hear the engines talking. The sound leaked through the broken cabin but she could make out pieces. They were talking about her, her decision to keep surviving and not help the others. And she'd be lying to herself if guilt hasn't been eroding her insides since that. She did feel bad for denying the others, but no shame. Picks said there was no shame in surviving and out of everything he'd told her, that was one of the things she wholeheartedly agreed to. There wasn't anything someone in her position could do to improve her lifestyle. Nothing, so just live and make do. Survive.

Though from what she had heard, they didn't agree. They already had a rough plan to attempt to rescue their friends. They knew what they needed. And they didn't need her. It took several jagged hacks from her knife to a splinted branch to realize that she was crying. Tears flowing down her dirt streaked cheeks. She hardly even noticed then until on dropped onto the edge of her sleeve.

She wiped the tears off. It was only a matter of time anyways. She hadn't heard exactly what they'd said but she had already decided it would be negative. But she still hoped that she was wrong. So she began to set a plan, a test to see whether they'd follow through with what they said.

She finished breaking of branches and walked back to the fire, setting the branches by her log. Edward looked up from his book and gave her a quick smile. Shale simply nodded. She looked over to see that Peter was currently trying to fit some pieces of broken blue glass and metal shards into Falcons vine crown. "Hey."

Both engines turned to look at her. "Just sayin' that sticking metal shards into that is dangerous. If ya get cut then you're probably gonna her infected and I doubt you'll notice in time."

Peter looked down to the shards in his palm for a moment before turning it and letting them fall to the ground. "Alright, that does make sense. They didn't smell very good anyways."

Shale brushed the shards away with her foot but that's when she realized something. At this, she facepalmed hard.

"Shale?" Edward asked, concerned. "What happened? Did you forget something?"

"Yea." She groaned into her hand. "I forgot to get you bloody shoes." She let her hand slide down her face. At this this provided her with a decent excuse for her plan. But still, she felt bad.

"Oh, I never really noticed that." Edward dug his toes into the dirt before pushing them up. "Though I guess it would be better if my feet had protection." He pulled one up and pulled a small twig out from between his toes.

"Yea, definitely. Heya Peter, mind calling everyone else over. I think we might need to go back into town again."

The white streaked engine nodded and placed the crown back on his head and ran over to the cabin. Shale placed her own crown on the log and began sorting through her bag again. Adding in extra bills and some small packs of food. She noticed one of the larger glass shards and gingerly picked it up. She pushed it aside and pulled up part of the dusty tarp and began sawing a piece off.

After a few minutes Shale had finished wrapping the shard as the other engines stepped outside. She sat up and gave a few experimental swings. She tucked that into her bag but then she noticed the old ring of keys she had found. Slipping the ring around her wrist and the keys between her knuckles she gave another punch.

'Not the best, but it'll do.' She noticed that every other engine was carrying a book. Shale considered bringing them back to the library but then she remembered what had happened with Renneas. She slung her bag over her shoulders.

"Hello again Shale. Peter said we would going into town again, something about shoes?" Skarloey asked.

"Yea, I was stupid and forgot to get Eddie shoes. And we may need to get some more food. A good portion is almost rotten." She began walking back towards the forest edge. "'Sides, might help to show you some street skills." She held out the glass knife, blade turned downward and facing herself and she showed how the keys fit between her fingers. Some of the engines visibly recoiled when Shale had out the weapon. She rolled her eyes.

"Look, I get you don't like what this means but your gonna have to face it sooner than later. Half the time you won't even need to use it, it's mostly just for show. Tells people your mess 'em up if they mess with you." She gave a moment to think. "Then again if drawing blood is what your concerned with then you could just use your fists. Just try not to break anything."

She thrust the knife to Skarloey anyways, who nervously tucked it into one of his pockets with the handle sticking out. Shale stepped past them, already at the tree line. "C'mon, your gonna have to learn some street smarts sooner or later. May as well be now."

Besides, they would need them if Shale was gone.

:=====:

Stepping into the town in the late afternoon was vastly different from the early morning or the late night. More people, younger people were bunched together in groups. Some still had backpacks pulled over their shoulders. Cafes and restaurants were bustling with customers and ever so often a car would go down the streets, though bicycles were more common. Stepping into town at this time gained Shale plenty of looks but she just glared back and they'd advert their eyes. Though she noticed that they were less towards the engines and more to solely herself. Guess the grey skin wasn't that absurd.

She stepped into the closest alleyway, noticing a dumpster with a simple lock. After a sideways glance she motioned the engines to watch as she crouched in front of the lock. Though this time she pulled out two thin pieces of metal, a bobby pin and a long, bent piece of wire. Shale gingerly stuck both in and began twisting the wire at different angles. The engines leaned in to watch but Shale hissed as part of the wire broke and was left poking out of the lock. It had been a while since she needed to do this and she was never good to begin with.

Shale settle bobby pin at a new angle, bent the wire in unique but a similar pattern and then inserted it again. This time each of the engines pick up on a slight click and Shale pulled the lock of. Duncan smirked approving "Oh yea, didn't know there were other ways to pick locks."

Shale did a double take on that. "Wait. You've done this before?"

"Yea, though I used a twig instead. Driver taught me 'bout it."

She raised an eyebrow. A twig? Shale bet even Picks hadn't heard of that. She set that aside. "Yea. Anyways, mind helping me out here guys? Duncan? Falcon?" She called both of them over as she leaned over the rim and began pushing through the garbage. Both engines recoiled at the smell but Shale had gone nose blind years ago. From the top of the pile she pulled out a small tied up bag and leaned out. She took a moment to scan the area. Then after a moment, took of the lock and stuffed it into her bag.

"Shale? What are you trying to teach us?" Skarloey asked.

She opened her mouth to answer but snapped shut and bolted when she saw a door swing open behind him. She grabbed Edwards hand and practically dragged him out of the alley, almost stumbling over trying to catch up. It took the others a moment to realize what was happening along with being yelled at by a elderly man in a red cashier apron to leave in a rather colourful language. Skarloey clapped his hands over Peters ears as the stepped out. They looked down the streets but Shale wasn't in sight. Shale leaned from behind where she was hidden.

"Shale? Shale what was that?" Edward asked, peeking over the same corner as Shale. "Why did we leave the others? Did you see someone?"

Shale took a moment to exhale before walking back to the engines. "Yea, that guy known to have some good stuff in his dumpsters. He keeps it locked and the food is usually expired but it's consistent and that's what matters."

The others noticed her stepping out and ran towards her. "Shale? What was that? What were you doing back there? What's in that bag?" Skarloey asked rapidly.

"The store owner, picking a lock and food." She counted off on her fingers. "Didn't realize that as it happened?"

"Oh." He said sheepishly. "Well, after the fact it does make more sense."

"Made sense to me." Duncan shrugged.

Shale guessed by the looks of confusion from the others that they just picked up what she was doing as well. "That's kinda weir-"

But she cut herself off. "Actually, never mind. That's fine. It's fine. C'mon, I'll show you how to pick these kinda locks."

She led the engines a couple blocks down to the centre of town marked by a simple arrangement of trees with benches underneath. A mix of men in suits and teenagers slumped over with briefcases and bags set beside them had sat underneath in the shade. Shale walked over to one tree which had its wooden bench marked with graffiti, so naturally most people tended to avoid it. But this wasn't the case for today. A brunette woman in her mid-20's was sitting with her head in her hands and fliers scattered around her footing and one pinned to the tree. Before Shale could lead them out of their cone of vision, Edward stepped forward and started gathering the papers that were blown around in the wind.

Skarloey followed in suit and before long the rest did to. Peter Sam even tried to go the extra mile by trying to pull one down from another tree but it was to tall to reach. The woman didn't seem to notice as they all gathered them into a near pile. And somehow, Renneas ended up holding the whole stack. She listened as they argued who would give back the fliers. None of them seemed to want the task. So Shale stepped forward and pulled them out of their hands. May as well get this over quickly. Each of the engines followed behind her and she stepped in front of her.

"Hey lady. I think you dropped these." She said bluntly.

That made her head turn up and Shale felt slightly guilty when she realized that she may have been crying but she recovered and stood up, taking the pile into her hands. "Oh, thank you very much. I suppose I was just tired."

"Yea, but give 'em the glory. Turns out altruism hasn't died yet." She jabbed a thumb towards the engines. When she looked over her eyes locked onto Renneas.

"Wait, I remember you. We met at the library." She gave a faint smile. "I hope your feeling better after... that."

He coughed into his fist and adjusted his collar again. "No, don't mind me. I am fine. But thank you again for the help."

"Wait, what happened -" Peter began.

"Is best left unsaid." Shale butted in. She glanced around to the flier posted on the tree. It was a missing persons poster of a young girl - maybe 5 or 6 - with blond hair and green eyes. She wore a simple pale lilac shirt and a grey skirt with matching stockings. The woman must have noticed her starring because she spoke up again.

"She's my daughter, dear little Diana." Her smile took on a wistful look. But it sobered quickly. "She went missing a few days ago. We haven't got a clue where she is but I just hope she's safe."

Shale snorted. "Definitely doesn't look like your kid."

"Well, technically she's not my biological child. Diana's adopted." She explained. Shale frowned at this. The red-head didn't believe that the woman was serious about adoption. Or at the very least it was done for her public rep.

"Oh, that's very sad miss- uh." Skarloey pauses.

"Please, just call me Brigitte. Though I didn't get your names. Are you all brothers?"

"You could say that Miss Brigitte." Renneas added, but there was a cautious tone to his voice. "I am Renneas and Skarloey is technically my brother by human standards."

Skarloey followed up his sentence and began gesturing to the rest of the engines. But he seemed to move in front of each of them in a protective manner. "This is Peter Sam, Falcon, Duncan, Rusty and Edward. Pleased to meet you."

Brigitte seemed to be taken aback by this and Shale saw her eyes dart to each of them before relaxing. "Well, that's very nice. So, what brings you all out today?"

"Oh, Shale was just about to show us something!" Peter explained. The former grit her teeth at the sudden attention. She didn't want this lady around, something about her made her instincts say to distrust her and her instincts were what kept her alive. Something about her felt off, Shale didn't care what.

"Yea. But it's not here." Shale looked her dead in the eye when she said this. "C'mon, let's go." She wanted to teach the engines how to pickpocket but now that the woman knew their faces she'd have to take this somewhere else. She turned swiftly and began walking away and back towards the forest. It was getting dark anyways and smoky clouds formed overhead, a sign of a incoming storm.

The engines followed one by one. Though they were polite enough to give her a quick goodbye and wished her luck on finding her daughter. When they caught up to Shale, Rusty was the first to ask questions.

"Shale, don't you think that was somewhat rude it just leave the lady there?" He asked.

"Not the worst. But I didn't like her, she's suspicious. Something up with her."

"Really? What's wrong? You know her? Should we be worried?" Falcon asked.

"No, but I bet something of with her. She's not telling us something, I can feel it. Nobody is that altruistic."

"So you don't have any bases for an accusation?" Renneas quizzed. "What makes you think she's bad then? She seemed rather pleasant."

"Look, I said it before and I'll say it again. It's rich against the poor, everyone for themself. Better to just stay distant, I don't even know her."

"But she was kind enough to help me at the library." He tugged at his sleeves subconsciously. "Surely she can't be all bad."

"Besides, you decide to help us." Edward added, placing a hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile.

Shale didn't know what to say to that. But she just turned and kept walking, leading them to one of the abandoned buildings by the perimeter of the town. There were broken off pieces of metal and concrete scattered around and the door was already pulled of it's hinges. Shale had been here a few times and had some useful supplies but now there was just rubble. She sat on one of the larger pieces and thrust the lock into Skarloey hands.

"Here, try to copy what I did back there. Try to pop open the lock." She explained. He looked down to the tools and then back up to Shale.

"Uhh, if it's alright. Could you please explain how?" He asked.

"Just try to figure it out. Twist it around until you find what works."

"Alright." He looked down and inserted the pin and wire. But when he went to change the angle he ended up snapping the fine wire. He pulled out the wire stuck inside the lock and looked back up to Shale and held then out. "I'm sorry, but this isn't working. I really don't have any ideas."

Renneas coughed to get her attention. "Shale, who exactly taught you how to pick locks?"

She took back the lock and sat on the ground in front of the engines. "It… it was Picks and - well it wasn't to much teach as it was trial and error. But I managed pretty well, still ain't as good as him but I can get it done."

"So your just guessing half the time?" Falcon asked, eyebrow raised.

She gave a low laugh. "More or less."

"Hold on." Duncan stepped up to Shale and took the lock right out of her hands. He held both ends with both hands and began to pull. "Since we got super strength, maybe we can ju-"

He cut himself on and instead focused on - literally - breaking the lock. It didn't take long and a moment after a sharp crack rang through he held the two pieces triumphantly for them all to see. "Ha, knew it would be easier."

"Well not all of us have super strength." She mumbled. She sighed quietly to herself. "Guess you guys all got what you need. Don't just rely on dumpster diving for food. Check outdoor cafes and benches around parks and public areas. There's usually some half eaten meal lying there, just be sure to get out fast. Stay away from anyone in a uniform and do not stay in the city after dark."

Skarloey nodded thoughtful. "Thank you Shale, your help had been greatly appreciated. I don't know what we'd do without your help. It's only a shame that I cannot repay you."

"Don't mention it." She shrugged and for a moment, she believed she was doing some good. But part of her still told her to leave, they didn't need her anymore. Though if she did, what was left for her? She'd given everything into helping these guys, which granted wasn't much to begin with, but it was everything she had. In a weird way, they made her life feel more bearable, more hopeful. Like she wasn't just surviving, Shale was living. Her feelings of attachment weren't selfish, she didn't just want them for protection. She enjoyed them, not just Edward, everyone else too.

They weren't Picks, they still had hope for a better day and they still cared for others. She couldn't imagine how. But then again, when you live as a slave for most of your life they any alternative must be an improvement. They were scared, optimistic and perhaps to trusting but if she stayed then she could help preserve what they had, hope.

"Yea, you guys are enough." She smiled. She watched as some of the younger engines began poking into the old building while Renneas and Edward stayed outside and chatted quietly. Rusty noticed the other fooling around inside and ran in to tell them to be careful. It was an oddly casual scene but she enjoyed it.

But then she felt a prickling sensation from the back of her head and immediately whipped around, just fast enough to spot someone retreat into the shadow of one of the adjacent alleyways. From what she saw they was an adult, dressed in some type of uniform. First red flag. Then she saw how he took a moment to watch the engines and herself again before slipping of. He was observing them, but for how long? Was he tracking them? Second red flag.

She stood up. "One sec Renneas, I think there another dumpster around here and since someone broke it, I'm gonna need a new lock. Not all locks can be broken and it's a useful skill to have anyways. Stay here for now, if I'm not back then go back to the cabin."

Edward stood up as she began walking away. "Shale?"

"Don't worry Edward. I'll be back eventually. Just gotta take care of something first." She took his hand in hers and gave it a quick squeeze. Shale still had a smile but when she turned to keep walking a small frown formed. "But if you hear anything weird, run."

She didn't wait to hear their questions and made a slow jog across the sidewalk and down one of the alleys. There wasn't actually any dumpster here, just some overflowing garbage bins and the odd wooden crate. When she turned again and glanced across the street there wasn't any sign of that man. Before turning around she pulled out her knife and held it in a aggressive manner. At the mouth of the alley was the same man, but this time was flanked by two others. Each dressed in police uniforms and armed with clubs and handcuffs. She straightened her stance and looked both of them in the eye.

"We ain't doing anything wrong officer. So if you got nothing to say, then leave is alone."

"If your hoarding out products then you are." The one in the middle stepped up and pulled out his club and smirked. "So back of street rat."

"Products?" She grit her teeth. "Wow, and you call me a rat."

He growled and both of the other men drew their clubs. "Your just a child, this doesn't concern you. Now get out of the way, we have the authority to utilize brute force if required."

For a moment, only a moment, Shale consider letting them take the engines away. But she hated herself for letting that possibility even be considered. Normally she wouldn't care for the unlucky ones, the ones who she could have helped. But seeing how they all act, how they protect each other, she wanted to protect that as well. To preserve some semblance of hope. So she drew out her knife and moved to block the entrance.

"Get to him, you get through me."

She had made her stance clear and they wasted no time in their assault. Thankfully, she was used to fighting those bigger and much stronger than herself. One made a wide swing for her head but she rolled behind him and made a stab for his calf, though the armour was thick and the blade simply bounced of. But one of the men came up behind her and grabbed her arm. She bucked her leg backwards and it made contact with his pelvis, causing him to cry out out and curl in on himself.

Now she was being backed into the wall by the remaining two. She saw one of them move to their belts to grab at a radio and immediately charged him and this time aimed for his elbows, he cried out in pain and blood leaked down his arm. Shale grabbed the radio and threw to to the ground, crushing it under her boot. Then a snap later she felt something hard smash against the back of her head and the edges of her vision distorted. She spun and tried to make a wide swing but the man hit her again, bringing his club down across her right arm.

Adrenaline was flowing through her, making it hard to feel the sudden impact but she felt something in her right arm snap and her knife drop. So she curled her fits and punched him straight in the face. Shale didn't expect much, only hoping to stun him long enough to grab her knife again but she felt something shatter beneath her knuckles and the man grabbed at his face. His nose was obviously broke and blood dribbled down over his lips.

She didn't have time to feel the shock from her sudden strength, shuffling back while her arm hung limp. Shale had felt something under her skin shatter and when she tried to raise her arm pain like lightning flew across her and she had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming. The man she had stabbed went to charge her again but she hastily threw her jacket towards his face, leaving him stunned but causing herself to trip backwards. She went to stab at his knees but was kicked back as he pulled of her jacket and her knife was knocked from her hand.

He lunged down and had her pinned with his other hand and forced her arms above her head. She kicked her feet in an attempt to throw him of but he slammed his knee into her stomach which knocked the air out from her lungs. With the drumming in her head and the lack of air in her lungs it was getting harder to stay awake. But through the haze he saw him staring at her. If her mind was cleared she would know it was on her left arm, the same place where she had been cut and Edward had bandaged along with the mystery vial.

Though she continued to fight, arms scratched from being ground against the pavement. Out of the corner of her vision she could see the other men standing again. She fought to stay awake and saw them pulling out another radio. As her mind drifted of she could only make out pieces of what they said.

"Sir we have - much more int - successful merger - should we kill the other - bring her to the - yes sir."

At that point, all she could feel was someone forcing her hand into cuffs and throwing her over their shoulders.


	25. Chapter 25

**This definitely took more than two weeks.**

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Edwards anxiety began to grow, Skarloey tried his best to comfort his old friend but he was growing anxious to. He had suspected that Shale might consider leaving given everything that he had gathered but he remained optimistic that wasn't the case. The elder narrow gauge engine fiddled uncomfortably with the glass knife Shale had handed him. He wished he never needed to use it.

"I'm sure Shale is safe Edward. She knows these streets well so I doubt she'd get lost."

His expression didn't change. "That's not what I'm worried about, old friend. I feel… well, anxious for Shale. I can't explain why."

"Guess that's the 'gut feeling' Shale kept talkin bout." Duncan added. "Though am I the only one who feels like we're bein' watched?"

Renneas simply shrugged. He was more concerned with watching the younger engines playing around inside the broken building. Edward continued to fiddle with his necklace as he watched the sky. Clouds had begun to form in the sky, reflecting the ominous feeling the others had.

Eventually, he stood up, much to Skarloeys surprise. "I'm going to look for her, could one of you come with me?"

"Well, I suppose there's no harm." Skarloey mussed. "But Shale told us to stay."

"True, but if she hadn't returned to go back to base." Duncan pointed out, stepping out from the rubble. "So we should go."

"But Shale may be in trouble and we need to do something."he slammed a fist into his open hand in a determined manner. "We have to."

Peter and Falcon followed behind and each made a nodding motion. Though Falcon seemed reluctant, he did agree. "Yea, I hate to admit it but he's got a good point. At least we can make sure she's safe. And didn't she say we needed to stay in a group?"

"Not to mention it could give us an opportunity to apply what she's taught us." Rusty added. "There is a risk but I'm willing to take it."

Skarloey sighed. He wanted to argue but it was four against two. So he felt compelled to agree. But part of him still wondered if this was the right decision. "I-I'm not sure. It would be safer if we stayed here. What if we got lost?"

"It's not like we'll go far." Peter stated. "Just around that alley. I'm sure nobody would bother us."

"As optimistic that sounds I have to disagree." Renneas argued. "The last time we were in an alley we found Shale badly broken down. And she seemed to imply that people like that are commonplace."

"That's because she was alone!" Edward raised his voice plunder than each of them expected. When he noticed that he tried to reign himself in. "Pardon the outburst, but my point still stands. If Shale is in trouble then we should help her. We need to help her if she's in trouble. If we can stop her from getting hurt then we should do something."

"And even if someone tries somethin' we can take em' easily." Duncan smirked.

"Duncan!"

"What?" He gave an indignant snort. "Not like I was plannin' anything serious. Broken bone at worse. Just enough to get away."

"Not that I'm supporting violence." Rust cut in. "But we should be prepared to defend ourselves in case something happens."

"Couldn't we at least try to talk things out first?" Peter asked.

Falcon shrugged. "Well, we could always try but I doubt it'll work often."

He tugged at the hem of his turtleneck. "Wouldn't hurts to try. I don't like the idea of hurting others. Even if it is for out protection."

"Neither do I, but is is a necessity for our situation."

Renneas looked to his brother. They didn't want to argue with there points. But it wasn't out of spite, it was out of concern for the others along with timidity. Anyways, they were outvoted. So they caved in. "Alright, but we should stay close together. Nobody split up."

That's when each of them heard a faint yelling from the alley. Edward was already on his feet and running across the street. Skarloey and Renneas called out for him to wait while the rest followed in suit. The brothers had to hold the others back as a car drove across the street but Edward managed to dash ahead anyways.

His head whipped around the ally frantically. His eyes narrowed down on four men in front of him. They looked like standard police officers. One had a slight limp and one had a cloth bandage wrapped over their elbow. But what set him of was Shale slung over their shoulders, cuffed and unconscious with a white van behind them, the back doors open.

"Shale!"

The men's attention was immediately drawn to him but he didn't care. He made a dead sprint towards them, but one hastily fumbled at his belt and pulled out a small black box. Edward didn't understand why he had it pointed at him until he felt something cause his limbs to spaz, causing him to fall to the floor in a twitching mess. His tongue tasted metal and he couldn't seem to form words. There was no pain, so he tried to stand again shakily.

Said man who had shot the taser stomped up and kicked him in the ribs and gave a gruff laugh. Sending him rolling across the ground. "Hey, should we take this one too? Boss would be happy to get another one of his products back and this one literary came running."

Edward felt the air in his lungs fly out and he gasped hard trying to catch his breath. But again, there was no pain. He got to his feet and ran to Shale again, the others footsteps could be heard and the men saw them running up the street in front of them.

"Forget it. You heard what the boss said, we'd need reinforcements to take them all in." They all jumped inside the van and one man hit the side to signal they were set. "Go! Drive!"

They pulled the doors shut as the van sped out. Edward had managed to coordinate his legs long enough to stand up and run. He staggered and almost tripped but even if he didn't, it would make little difference. He was only about another cars length behind them when another man in a mask rolled down the window and pointed something in his direction. It was small, silver and cylindrical snapped. Edward had no idea what it did. That's when a loud crack rang through the air and he screamed in shock as he felt something shoot into his leg with the force of a mudslide.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Rain had began to fall and Edward slipped and fell face first onto the ground with a splash. He ground to a stop and could make out the van turning a corner and speeding off. When he tried to pull up his leg it felt limp and his mind was beginning to haze. Frustration, Grief and a mess of other emotions began to build and all he could do was curl in on himself and let the rain mix with his tears. The bullet that had pierced his calf had begun to leak a black liquid in a steady stream onto the pavement, pooling around his crippled body.

Once Skarloey and the rest of the engines turned the corner, Peter Sam screamed in shock when he saw his friend lying there and Duncan seemed close to doing the same, only fueled by anger than disgust. Falcon cupped a hand over his mouth, turning to purge onto the side of the alley wall. Rusty had rushed up along with the brothers and kneeled by his side.

"Edward?! Edward!" He cried. Shaking his shoulder as he saw his eyes start to droop behind his limp black hair. "Please, somebody, help him!"

Panic filled his eyes as Renneas looked to the still leaking bullet hole then back to his brother. "What are we going to do? Skarloey, what can we do!?"

His hands were shaking furiously now. Skarloey was hyperventilating now, his breaths coming in ragged spikes and sliced with harsh hiccups. Peter, Falcon, Rusty and Duncan were yelling at each other while trading ideas how to help her. Renneas had begun to grab at his shoulder, calling out to him through the haze. He didn't know what to do, Edward was bleeding-possibly even dying right in front of his eyes and he couldn't do anything.

He was completely useless.

Renneas saw how his brother had frozen, eyes glazed over in panic. He himself was at a lose with that to do but his instincts told him to make sure Edward was awake. And he was, but just barely. He grabbed at his shoulders and shook hard, calling out to him. "Edward! Edward! Can you hear us? Please, stay with us! We can get you help, but just stay awake!" He turned up his face to look him in his half lidded eyes.

He moved to squeeze his hand and let out a breath he didn't know he held when he felt the other engine reciprocate the action. Then he turned to his brother. Still frozen in place.

"Skarloey? Skarloey!"

Through he saw his lips move, he could hardly make out his voice through the panic. "I-I'm useless. I can't do anything."

Duncan was at his side and had also somehow managed to hear what he said. Skarloeys cheek suddenly stung when he felt something slap him across the face. Renneas was too stunned to say anything. He was this close to losing it and screaming at the other engine for striking his brother.

Skarloey turned to face the other engine in shock. But Duncan didn't recoil. "Would you get a hold of yourself! First thing, we gotta get out of this famed rain and find someone who can do somethin! But we ain't gonna get anything done if you fall apart like a rusty piston!"

Skarloeys breath seemed to even out and his eyes come back into focus. "Y-y-your right. We need to find help ourselves." He moved to pull one arm over his shoulder and Renneas copied the motion on the other side.

"Right, and who exactly are we supposed to go for that?" Falcon snapped. "We don't have any money and we gotta pay for those doctors."

Skarloey paled again. Duncan scrunched his nose and shoved his hands into the pockets of Shales jacket. All he pulled out were some scraps of paper and pebbles. He flipped his drooping hair out of his face. "Shit, he's got a point. We got no bandaged for this. But let's just get out of this damned rain."

The others just nodded in silence. Skarloey and Renneas helped to pull Edward up. The other engines cleared the way and watched for any cars or other humans. They kept a tight huddle as they walked with Edward, keeping him in the center. They lead them back through the alley and towards the old ruined building, it was the closest shelter they had. But as they made it halfway through they heard someone calling out along with the increasing sound of splashing footsteps

"Wait, Renneas? Skarloey?"

They all snapped behind to see a man standing behind then. The others didn't even have time to yell stop as Duncan charged down and tackled whoever that was. He jabbed his elbow into his chest and kneed him in the gut. The other man cried out and curled in on himself, hugging his middle.

"Go! Get Edward outta here!" He screamed, pressing his foot into his rib cage. "I'll hold 'em of, just go!"

"Stephen!"

"Duncan!"

Peter ran up from the group as a woman ran to the man's side. Duncan thought that Peter was running to help scare the woman off but didn't expected to be pushed of. He was thrown down and landed on his elbow on the pavement. Peter glared at him while his hands hovered over, not knowing how to help. "We didn't know if he would hurt us! Now you might have broken him!"

The woman simply skidded across the ground and knelt by his side. "Oh, no, no, Stephen? Stephen!"

"M-mfine." He grit his teeth and forced a smile and craned his head to look at Duncan. "One hell of a swing ya got there."

"You did what?" She yelled. "Why on earth did you do this!"

"Well, not like we expected you lot to help us. 'S What you got for suprisin' us."

Falcon then realized something. "Wait, what are you doing here." All eyes were set on the twins now. Each with various expressions ranging from fear to anger. Brigitte saw how they seemed to form a barrier around the two brothers. And even though Duncan had backed of, he still glared at her brother who had pushed himself onto his elbows.

"We heard someone calling out for help, so we listened." She stated plainly.

"Yeah right, like it's that simple." Falcon shoved the sister back. "What were you doin' down here anyways?"

"Falcon, that is enough." Renneas snapped, louder than necessary. "These hum- Brigitte and Stephen have offered us help. Help that we need gravely. We can't whittle away our time bickering."

He glanced over to Skarloey who gave a hesitant nod. They both motioned for the others to stand aside and let the twins take in Edwards slouched form. Brigitte's hand flew to her mouth and Stephen cringed once they glanced at the still leaking wound. "Oh, oh dear. Our house is just down the street. We can let you stay for as long as you need."

She then went to try and pull her brother up but staggered under the weight. "Don't worry, Bridge. M'fine." He tried to stand but hissed and fell to his knee. "Damn, think somethins' busted."

Peters frown deepened as he directed it towards Duncan. Who - while bashful - didn't seem outwardly guilty. "Here, I can help you. I hope your not to badly damaged." He slung one arm over his shoulder and helped to pull him up. Stephen let out a gasp which shocked him into almost dropping him again.

"Woah! Woah, it's fine. Just didn't expect you lot to be so strong."

Brigitte glanced at them, eying their skin before lead the motley crew out of the mouth of the alley. She broke out into a slow sprint and the others followed her across the sidewalk and towards a simple row of attached houses. The one in question being the same as the rest save for the smears of colour across the sidewalk and porch. Greens, blues, reds and yellows that vaguely resembles crude drawings of flowers and animals. Brigitte glanced longingly at the drawings before stepping up and pulling out a key.

She twisted the knob and pushed it open. Motioning for the others to step inside. "Here, please. Come in."

Renneas and Skarloey eyed the building, the others reflected the emotion. The last time all of them were in a combined space, they woke up in new bodies. She could sense their hesitation. "Please, Edward needs help. I won't have him dying on my doorstep without knowing I could have helped."

That was the push they needed. Skarloey and Renneas had to shift around a bit to keep Edward from dragging his feet but they ascended slowly with the others following behind, pressing together even tighter than before. Stephen limped inside and leaned against a small table, pointing forwards.

"The livin' rooms back there. You guys can set yourselves down there. Kitchens to the side, grab what ya' want." Stephen leaned against the railing, letting the others pass through first.

The engines stepped inside the house, now slightly soaked and wet hair dripping across the hard floor ground. It was well lit and the warmth was a welcome feeling. They pushed through the narrow hallways together and set Edward down on the large and slightly worn sofa. Skarloey sat with him, cradling his head in his lap. Renneas stood beside him while the others formed around them.

Brigitte helped her brother though and locked the door. She took one last glance outside, signing in relief to see nobody else. She glanced back to the 'brothers' standing, noting how none of them remained still. If she could compare them, it would be to a litter of stray cats. Anxious and skittering. They looked at the walls and glared at random objects as if they expected the walls to either collapse onto them or for someone to jump out and attack them.

"You thinkin' bout it too, huh?" Stephen wheezed, reading his sisters expression. "Should we-"

"No, there scared. If we do they'll just run away. Edward needs our help." Her face was solem, recalling memories she'd rather forget. She helped her brother forward and into the living room, setting him down on one of the reading chairs. "I'll need to grab some bandages and tongs. Skarloey, could you pull up Edwards pants? It'll make it easier to get to the wound."

Skarloey was startled by the request but complied. The material was loose so it was easy. But it also exposed the full extent of the damage. The bullet itself wasn't stuck in his leg, instead it had gone through at an angle and exited through the back. Brigitte came rushing back with a large bundle of fabrics and knelt by his side. She had a needle and thread in her hand, intent on sewing it shut.

"Hold on." Duncan grabbed her hand. "How so we know you aren't gonna make it worse?"

"Duncan, please." Skarloey begged. "We don't have a choice. Just let her repair him."

"And if it comes down to it, we could just beat the crap outta them." Falcon chipped. Both brothers gave him appalled looks but he just shrugged and gestured to Stephen. "Wouldn't be to hard."

She just sighed, Bridgette didn't blame them for their attitude. She didn't voice any complaints and kept herself foucused on Edward. The pungent smell of oil made her wrinkle her nose but she just tried to ignore it. She glanced up to Edward, who's eyelids fluttered but he remained awake. "This might sting a bit."

That was all the warning he got. She pulled out a bottle of medical alcohol, pressed a small towel to the opening, tipped it over and then gently brushed the area around the bullet. She was surprised to see Edward showed no signs of discomfort. Then again, she also knew they weren't human. Brigitte then popped open a tube filled with a salve meant to help with healing cuts or abrasions. Granted, this was leagues above anything like that but it was all they had and Brigitte wasn't trained to deal with these kinds of things.

After applying a generous amount of the medicine, she began to wrap the wound in a bandage. She looked up to Edward again, Renneas gently coaxing him awake and brushing back the wet strands of hair. He blinked and looked down but he pulled himself back when he saw how close she was.

"Carefu!" She reaches out, but hesitated. "Your gonna be sore for a couple days, Edward. So don't strain yourself."

He simply glanced down and brushed his hand over the stark white bandages. Confusion etched on his face. "Don't worry. I'm fine, it doesn't hurt."

"You were just shot and you don't even feel it?" Stephen asked indignantly. "Christ, you guys are crazy."

The rest of the engines either glared or receded after that comment. Brigitte frowned at his comment. "What he means to say is that the fact you can't feel any pain is just… well, not normal."

"I don't think that sounds any better, sis."

"Oh shut up." She waved his comment away and looked back to the boys. "Anyways, just keep of that leg for a bit Edward. You can stay here as long as you need too."

She noticed a twitching frown on Skarloeys face, but it was swiftly replaced with a polite smile. "Thank you Miss Brigitte and Mister Stephen. We're sorry to be taking up your… living room for the time."

Listening to the slight hesitation and question in his voice only confirmed her suspicions. But all she could do for them now was to keep them comfortable and try to keep the truth from them for now. She turned back to Stephen as he pulled up his shirt. Large purple and red bruises formed over his rib cage and when she prodded one section, he hissed in pain.

"Yea, somethins' defiantly broken." He grimaced. She hit her lip, they could go to the doctors in the morning. And while they could do the same for Edward, she didn't trust the doctors with them. Likely the whole town was riddles with spies. It was a miracle they'd flown under the radar for this long. They'd just have to hope the wound wouldn't be infected.

"Just don't move, we'll get it checked over in the morning." She glanced to the clock -three thirty - then to the boys. "I'll be in the kitchen, you want anything?"

"Sis, I'm fine." He tried to sit up but curled one of his hands around the broken rib. Brigitte just rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder back down. "Really, I can get the damn apple."

She was already headed towards the kitchen. "Just sit down and shut up." She yelled back. The brunette scanned the cupboards for something they could all eat. There wasn't much - there were only ever three mouths to feed - but she managed to gather up an assortment of cereals, fruits, and a half empty bag of chips.

Meanwhile with the engines, half continued to watch Stephen nervously while the rest kept glancing around the room. Renneas in particular was eying a small bookshelf, squinting to read the spines. There was something titled 'A Midsummers Dream' that caught his attention but he didn't want to leave his place beside his brother and friends. That, and he didn't know if he was allowed to touch their things.

Peter and Falcon remained huddled together with their backs against the couch, Peters head began to slouch against Falcons shoulder, blinking periodically to try and stay awake. The normally prissy engine didn't mind, as long as he was comfortable. He kept one hand folded over his while the other was balled in a fist as a warning.

Rusty's shoulders were slightly hiked up as he leaned sat by the other end of the couch. He switched between watching Stephen or watching the walls and door. He didn't enjoy being stuck inside of a confined space again, but he didn't let it show.

Duncan was being blatant about how much he didn't want to be here and how much he didn't like Stephen. Outright glaring at him, as if daring him to step closer. He was beginning to feel a little sorry for breaking one of his ribs, but he reasoned that it would just make running away easier for them. If it came down to that.

All the while, Skarloeys fidgeting was growing. He could not keep his hands still to save his life. The eldest alternated between fiddling with his hands, the cuffs of his sleeves, Edwards hair and his collar. He knew that some of the others were anxious, he was too. But they'd just have to wait here until Edward got better.

But then what, Shale was taken, taken by, by… _them_. They didn't know where, they didn't know why and they had absolutely no clue how to bring her back.

And who knows what they'd do to her?.


	26. Chapter 26

Brigitte entered the room with the food in her arms to see Skarloey looked down to see Peter yawning as he leaned against Falcons shoulder. She set down the food on the coffee table and threw the apple in her brothers direction. She presented the food and let them take what they'd want.

But to both her surprise and expectations, they made no move for it. Skarloey eyed it but other than that made no motion. So she took initiative and took a small pack of boxes filled with juice and stepped forward to hand it to him. It was late and she assumed they hadn't eaten for a while.

Maybe she was too hasty, but the other engines flinched hard when she stepped in a foot to close. Duncan practically growled, Rust visibly tensed while Renneas hand balled into a fist. What surprised her the most was Skarloeys reaction, he'd gone for one of his pockets and looked like he was going to pull something on her.

She suspected that the girl had given it to them to defend themselves. But that didn't stop her shock as she dropped one of the boxes. "Sorry, sorry, I'll- I can back of."

And she did, intentionally very slowly with her hands raised to show she wasn't a threat. Her eyes darted between their faces and Skarloeys hand. It didn't move from the pocket. Stephen noticed this as well.

"Hey, me and sis can sleep upstairs." He said. "You can take whatever you want, just call if you need anything. Bathrooms down by the front."

This time, Brigitte didn't argue. She just nodded and helped sling her brothers arm over her shoulder as he sat up. She tried to give the boys a sincere smile. "Please, you can relax. Your all safe, I promise we can tell you more in the morning but it's late, we should all get some rest."

"What, pray tell, implies that we are safe here?" Rusty asked. His tone was inquisitive, but there was a nervous edge to it as well.

Brigitte didn't really know what to say, it took her a moment to think of anything substantial. "Well, it's because we promise not to sell you boys out. Believe me, we hate those men as much as you do."

It certainly wasn't a lie. She and and Steppen left their father for a reason. It was the least they could to to offer them shelter, she doubted there was anywhere else they could go and it's wasn't like they'd make it far anyways.

As she and her brother walked upstairs to their separate rooms, the brothers were left in the living room by themselves. Skarloey had already noticed that Peter had begun to doze of along with Falcon. Though the latter made an effort to keep his eyes open.

"I'll keep watch." He stated. " If anything happens I'll wake you all up." He left out the unspoken promise. 'I'll hold them of long enough for you to escape.'

"Then I'm stayin' up too." Duncan affirmed. Rusty and Renneas followed in suit, each promising to take up guard once the other had slept.

"Thank you. Now, please at least try to rest." Skarloey asked. The others shrugged but closed their eyes. He didn't think they were actually sleeping.

He noticed that none of them made a move for the food. None of them were hungry anyways, and they didn't feel or want to take a strangers food. Shale was different though, she had Edwards trust and by connection, had the others. But these were true strangers, it'd take more than goodwill for them to gain it.

He glanced down to Edwards leg, the steril white contrasting the ash grey. Hopefully, Edward would be fixed soon. Then they could go find Shale, wherever she was.

::::

Shakes eyes blinked wearily. Everything felt sore, she gingerly stretched out her fingers and felt the chill of metal under her. Her eyes burst open and she jumped up but whatever cage she was held in was so small she couldn't stand so she ended up hitting her head. The shock was hard but she just fell to a knee and tried not to scream as she looked around.

The room she was kept in was small and dark, but from what she could see there were several cages close by just out of arm's reach. Once her eyes adjusted she could see that there was a door a few feet away. Dull metal, likely locked.

Her jacket and other clothes had been stripped of as well, leaving her in a sterile light blue hospital gown and not much else. The implications made her squirm and being disarmed and without a weapon made her anxiety spike.

That's when she heard something behind her crash, followed by the sounds of ragged screams. Animalistic and raw screams. And when her head snapped in that direction, she was close to screaming herself. It was another humanized engine. This one had the same black hair but it fell past their shoulders and almost down to their hips.

The lights suddenly flashed on and Shale slapped a hand over her eyes. Shale dropped to the ground and pretended to still be unconscious. She was blinded, but could hear the loud sound of a door swinging opens and boots marching through. She couldn't make out the faces, the cage was to low. But she could still hear them.

She saw a sterile white boot kick the bars of the cage, rattling them and causing the person inside to wail harder. "Subject FQC1! Shut the hell up or you'll be sent to the Dissection Labs this moment!"

Shale saw her move a hand towards her mouth. She wasn't sure, but she thought she was biting her hand to keep herself from screaming. The scientists didn't seem to care and he pulled out a small notepad and took down a note before he began to walk away. But something seemed to tip him of that she was awake.

He ducked down fast and Shale jumped back, pressing herself against the bars. Though she held eyes contact. It went against most if not everything that Pick told her - that being not to draw attention - but that implies cowardice, and she was anything but that. And this way, the attention would be brought onto her instead of the others.

"Looks like your awake." He sneered. "Finally. Can't believe your the breakthrough we've been looking for."

He gave the cage a good shake effort leaving. She glared as he turned his back. "I'm not a toy, you bastard. So don't expect me to act like one."

He paused his steps, but said nothing. He didn't even turn or give any indication of having heard her. She waited a few more minutes after he left before checking the lock to her cage. It seemed to just be a combination lock, harder to crack than a key-based one.

She glanced around, getting a clearer look at the room since the lights went on. There were several more cages, but only two of them had people in them. One was the aforementioned engine, and the other was pressed into the corner of their cage. Though what surprised her was that it was another human, as shown by their pale skin and blond hair that fell in waves.

They were probably another capture experiment. She didn't put to much thought into it, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She gave of the dementor of someone who wasn't as good as masking emotions, something Pick hammered into her. Though she herself was obviously scared, but she was just better at hiding it.

The door then slammed open and Shale nearly jumped again. This time along with a scientist followed by three guards armed with guns and some type of armour. She expected them to go for the engine but instead she found her own cage opened and being dragged out after having handcuffs slapped on.

She put up a fight as they practically dragged her out of the room. "The hell is going on here! What'd ya bastards want with me?"

Her answer was the but of a gun being slammed into the back of her skull. On top of the pain she already felt. Her vision blurred but they pushed her forward anyways. Duly hearing them command her to keep moving.

They wrestled her into a new room, clinical white with a table with straps. She fought even harder and even managed to knock of one of the guards until one of the white coats stabbed her neck with some sort of needle that left her feeling numb.

She could faintly feel them strap her down, her eyes unfocused. People with ice blue face masks leaned over her and shined a light in her eye. One had a notepad and scribbled something down while another strapped a gag over her mouth.

There was a squeak of wheels and a slight rattle of metal, she tilted her head to the side to find a table being pushed in. Her mind told her to move, yell, scream. Anything to resist.

But none of her limbs responded, she felt something cold applied to her right and left arm. Then something sharp cutting into her skin. The pain was dull but that didn't make it feel any less terrifying along with the fact she was practically immobile made it worse.

They peeled back her skin and tugged at her muscles, making other parts of her body twitch. They recorded each motion and observed her insides move. Then she felt the hospital dress pushed up and the same cold solution applied to her legs before cutting them open.

It was cold and it burned all at once, the pain now back at full force but she couldn't do anything except scream into the gag. But even through all of this, she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. So she just screamed and bit down on the worn leather.

::::

Skarloey and Edward were the first to wake, even the Sun was yet to rise. The others were sound asleep, though they both noticed that some of the others had shifted in their sleep. Peters head was now set in Falcons lap while Rusty and Duncan was slouched back against the side and front of the couch respectively.

He glanced back down Edwards leg. A black spot had begun to form over where the bullet hit. Looking back up to Edward, he didn't see any change in his expression or any sign of discomfort.

The other engine seemed to sense his concern. "I'm fine, old friend."

"Are you certain? Do you think you could walk?" Skarloey asked.

He just shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not." His expression turned downcast. "It's my fault, if I didn't get shot we wouldn't be stuck here. Maybe I could've caught up with them and Shale would still be here."

"Edward." He tried to meet the others gaze. "Please, that wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself again, it wasn't your fault that human shot at you. Shale would've said the same."

"How do you know for sure?"

He didn't know what to say to that. "I-I don't, but I… feel like that she say that. But am certain that she wouldn't want you to blame yourself. And neither do I."

Edward didn't say anything to that, he just pulled up his other knee and hugged it. Hiccuping softly. Skarloey reached out and pulled him into a hug, gently stroking a hand through his long hair.

Neither noticed Brigitte was silent watching from the stairs. Hand cupped over her mouth while the other clenched with anger. She didn't think he'd go that far, to kidnap someone. She turned and coughed, alerting them to her presence.

The others woke soon after, turning to the hallway. Brigitte was dressed in a loose cotton shirt and pants coloured a mint green. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and gave a tired smile.

"Hey, you lot are up early. You want me to make somethin for you to eat?"

"Oh, no thank you." Skarloey said. "I'm sorry for disturbing you and your brother."

She just shrugged and stepped into the kitchen anyways, starting to boil a pot of coffee as she mull d over how to approach the boys. Bridgette didn't want to scare them, and how could she say 'hey, I want to help' without making each of them uncomfortable.

The brunette also suspected that they'd try to leave some time soon, or at least once Edward had healed. She'd have to convince them to stay and let her and Stephen help. She poured her cup but then after a beat, began fishing out a pack of coco powder.

Skarloey and Edward looked back when Brigitte stepped back into the living room, now carrying two steaming cups of hot chocolate. "You didn't say anything about a drink. Bottoms up, boys."

She plonked herself down on the opposite arm chair and blew at her mug before taking small sips. Both brothers glanced at each other before grabbing at the mugs, feeling comforted by the leached heat. They gulped down a mouthful and we're pleasantly surprised by the sensation, like having a fire set in their smoke box.

Brigitte's eyes widened at the sight. "Woah, slow down or you'll burn your tongue. Wait a minute and don't take big gulps."

"Oh, sorry. My apologies." Skarloey muttered.

An awkward silence stretched on for a few minutes, until Renneas spoke up. "Why are you helping us? For the true reason."

The brunette sighed and set down her mug, folding her hands. "Okay, I won't lie to you. But I want you two to promise me something first."

"What?" They asked in unison.

"Please stay with us until Edward is fully healed. And please, please trust us. Even though you can hate me and my brother for what our father did to you, please don't hate us."

That's when it clicked. An old memory surfacing, their old controller standing at a platform with his Cheshire-Cat smile. But by his knees were two children with genuine grins, both with dark brown hair and eyes.

Skarloey was the first to find his voice."You're Sir Topham children."

She swallowed and nodded bitterly. "Yes, we are."

Both brothers glanced at each other again. Brigitte didn't bother trying to meet their gazes.

"Then why would we blame either of you?"

She snapped up, shock plain on her face. Both of their faces were passive, but there was no sign of anger or resentment. Though they'd moved to grip each other's hands while the others were spread over the others protectively.

"Brigitte." Skarloey started. "You and Stephen were children, neither of you could've done anything. You couldn't change anything, you may not have even been aware of this until we showed up on your doorstep. Neither of us are angry with you."

"But we could have!" She insisted, voice raised. She took a deep breath to try and compose herself. "When we turned of age, we could've investigated what our father was doing. I could've found proof of what he did, not only to you but to the other workers."

"Wait, like what?" Renneas asked.

"Minimum wage, lack of proper safety protocols and medical care, no proper compensation if they ever left the railroad." She listed of. "Father only ever valued efficiency, whether or not it was legal was an afterthought."

"So you decided to leave."

They all turned to Edward, who had been awake for most of the conversation. Brigitte stumbled over her words as she tried to explain herself. "I-I was going to tell you, but not as a group. I wanted to be gradual so you all didn't freak out or-"

"I'm not angry either." He said plainly. "My stance is the same as Skarloey and Renneas. You aren't your father, you were some of the only humans who were nice to us."

At this, Brigitte clapped a hand over her mouth. Muffling her sobs, she never expected them to forgive her so easily. It'd taken her and her brother months to just get over what they believed was abandoning the engines. Skarloey sat up and knelt by her side. Hands folded in his lap.

"Brigitte, please. We forgive you, you've already proved yourself by helping us and giving us shelter." He explained. "I admit that I am a little… wary now, but that's only because of this talk of your father and… well, you know why."

She just nodded. Whipping her tears away. "Right, thank you. You boys are better than most humans these days. Your too good for us."

The three of them went quiet, part of them felt she was right. But they still knew that there were still good people in this world. If her and her brother were any proof of that. "For what it's worth, I think your a good human too." Edward voiced.

Brigitte sat up and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, but this isn't all I have to say. I think it'd be good if you sat down for the next part."

Skarloey went back to his seat and Brigitte reached over to one of the bookshelves. She pulled one of the thicker tomes out and opened it to reveal it was hollowed and inside were yellowed sheets of paper. "Me and Stephen have been collecting evidence, we started a few years back. That's why we were in the library."

She pulled out some papers and smoothed it over the table. It listed the wages of several workers, almost all of them were far below minimum wage. Others were accident complaints and demands for compensation for the days they couldn't work due to their injuries. But many of them were pictures of a laboratory, lists of experiments and formulas.

"Most of the police turned a blind eye to his activities - bribes mainly - but now that he's having finance problems, his control over them has begun to slip. I know a man at the station, he's a honest man and friends with the higher ups. If we get him this, he can arrest Topham on the spot."

"But what about Shale?" Edward asked urgently. "We need to find her and break her out of wherever they're holding her."

"See, that's the problem." Brigitte sighed. "Most of the stuff her have here is old news and most of the drivers are long gone. Not to mention there isn't any sort of justice system for living machines. So we'll need something more recent to make a solid case. And there's only one place we know that's got that kind of info."

She passed them another picture. It was a blurry black and white polaroid taken from within the forest. The picture being that of a large, cube shaped facility. "I found this out by the woods."

All three of the engines swallowed hard, Edward himself began shaking. Renneas ran a hand down his back as he tried to smooth him.

"I have no right to ask you to do this and I'm sure you know how dangerous this is. But if everything goes to plan, we'll get Shale out of there and we can finally stop everything our fathers done, we can finally bring him to justice."

Skarloey nodded. "If it means bringing back Shale, then I'll help in any way I can. Though I won't speak for the others. Renneas?"

"I don't like this plan either." He mumbled. "But I agree, if this will save the remainder of our friends then I'll do it."

Edward had his lips pursed hard and eyes squeezed closed. But he eventually nodded. "I just want everyone to be safe, I'll stand with you."

None of them like their predicament at all, but they'd keep their friends safe. No matter what and no matter who they'd face.


	27. Chapter 27

**Okay, just as a forewarning there are implications of non con here. It doesn't go past 'creepy and in personal space', but it's there. So you can skip those parts if you want.**

 **I am a liiiiiitle more sick than I realized.**

* * *

Shale didn't know if days or weeks had passed at this point. Having gone so long without seeing the sky, she lost track of time. But despite everything; being cut open and experimented on like a lab rat, she didn't break. Instead, a fire within her burned, furious to consume the people who trapped her here.

Her teeth were as she pulled against the bars, trying to break them. Ever since she broke that guards arm in the alley, she knew something was up. Maybe it was whatever the engines poured into her wounds, she didn't care. As long as it got her out.

The door let out its shrill beep as another one of those men in white lab coats stepped in, carrying food. It was less food and more akin to thrown together slop with the texture of porridge and the taste of stale bread and something sickly sweet and bitter.

"You know, your cook must suck, cause this shit terrible. And coming from me that means somethin'." She snapped.

Shale heard them say something before she felt something tap the cage as electric coursed through her and she had to bite back a scream. This was the fourth time this'd happened. The last three were similar scenarios. She'd seen them do this to the other, more rowdier and resilient engines. Afterwards, they'd quiet down.

She already had stinging burns running across her calf, red and searingly painful to the touch. Adding on the fact that they'd cut her legs open multiple times equals some of the worse pain she's ever felt. But all, it does is egg her on. Fuel her drive to escape.

As she's left panting to regain her breath, Shale glanced to the side to see the same blonde haired kid scarfing down the food. She was too young to be here, then again, so was Shale. But the difference between that girl and herself was that Shale was used to not eating for long stretches.

She didn't feel like eating anyways, so she pushed her bowl of food towards the other girl wordlessly. And after a brief hesitation, snatched the bowl and ate that too. Then, time began to crawl. Shale kept on trying to break the bars, but all she managed so far was bending it ever so slightly. Just enough that she was able to stick her shoulder through.

Another scientist came in to collect the food and he took note that the younger subject had two bowls. But that wasn't important, he unlocked the cage and yanked Shale out. She didn't try anything, he was - as always - flanked by two guards. Not to mention walking now felt like rubbing her legs against a thorn bush.

This time, instead of being strapped to a table, she was taken to a large padded cell. The red head was chained to the wall with her arms crossed above her head and left there. She tested the chains, seeing if they could be broken. They probably could be, but she needed a better opportunity.

Then the door opened again and instead of a scientist in a lab coat, it was a man. Fat and round, though the most jarring feature were the stark white bandages around his face and over his neck. Presumably, they went down his chest but she couldn't tell how far.

Half his face was hidden as well, but the half she did see was sick in a way that made her want to break the chains and run. His voice was boisterous, but it felt too forced.

"Well, well, well, I certainly never expected this."

He stepped closer, looking her slender frame up and down. Shale tried to kick against his stomach with her leg but he simply caught it and smirked. "The hell do you want you fat cunt! Torture me? Bring it!"

She pulled her leg back instantly at the contact, she wouldn't show fear, not to this sick bastard who clearly wanted it. But it was hard to hide her grimace as he leaned against her ear. "Please, there's nothing you could give me. Nothing at all. Your kind are worthless, less than even dirt."

Shale jerked away hard and rolled her eyes. "Do you think you're the only one? Bitch please, I know your kind. Heartless and cruel, thinking of nobody but the self. Go ahead and call me trash, at least I'm better than you."

He did push back, but had a sick grin on his face. "Very well, I was going to be nice." He stepped forward again, tipping her chin up. "Tell me where my engines are hiding, and I'll let you leave in one piece."

Shale growled. "You and I both know that isn't true, fat cunt."

His features became predatory and he sniffed her rust red hair. With a great yell she smashed her forehead into his nose, feeling something drip down and seeing the bastard stumbling to the ground. Blood flowed from his nose and for what she could see, it was also likely broken.

Men in armor holding guns stormed the room, some helped the man up while others had their weapons pointed at her. "You little bitch."

"Takes one to know one I guess." She spat back. "You'd only face a girl chained up to a wall."

One of them whispered something into his ear and he grinned again, straightening out his jacket with his other hand. "Laugh all you want, but it doesn't matter. I already know where my engines are. Soon, you'll all be mine. And nobody will come for you."

The door slammed shut after that. Leaving Shale to register what had happened. And she didn't believe it. It'd taken three men just to bring her in, how many more for the engines. They didn't feel pain and they were stronger than any human.

But the ever clinical side to her said that the engines would never harm a human. Or perhaps they already knew this and had measures to capture them. And even if he was bluffing, would they ever come for her. They didn't even know where she was.

Like it or not, she was alone. Again. It stung, but she knew it'd happen eventually. She'd get out of here, run far, far away from all of this and start again. Stealing and running and praying she wouldn't be found again.

What else was there for her to do? As if anything would chance.

::::

"So lemme get this straight." Falcon pinched the bridge of his nose. "You want to help us get Shale back from the laboratory, one which your father owns and the same man who did this to us, risk getting shot up or captured again, while finding evidence of all the stuff he's done."

"Pretty much." Brigitte sighed.

The rest of the boys were awake now, some cradling cups of hot coco. Some mugs already drained and set on the table. They'd mostly calmed down at the revelation of who the twins were and they - more or less - had similar reaction too Skarloey and the others. Save for some added aggression from Duncan and apprehension from Falcon.

"This is our best - possibly only - chance to get Shale back. Along with that, we can finally have justice for what Sir… Sir Topham did to us." Skarloey said confidently. "Once Brigitte and Stephen take back the company, they can help shut down the experiments."

"Then what happens to us afterwards?" Peter Sam asked.

The twins looked to each other. "Okay-" Stephen started. "To be fair, we didn't think that far."

Duncan rolled his eyes before his sister picked up after him. "Well, we intend to try and provide any other engines along with yourselves proper care and amendments. You boys deserve a proper chance at life."

"So, what does that mean?" Duncan said. "I didn't think you lot would want us runnin' 'round the island."

Rusty nodded. "He has a point, what if the mainland finds out? What'd happen to us then?"

She though for a moment. "You boys both have a point. I don't really want them to find out about you - more so for the sake that I don't want to think about what they'd do to you. But I don't want to restrict you either, you've probably had enough of that."

"In all honesty" Renneas started. "I don't think any of us would want to leave regardless. At least I don't."

The others mumbled in agreement. They didn't have any connection to the outside and even if they did, they'd have to work through their fear or humans. Along with the humans fear of themselves. Humanity rarely has pity for those who are different.

"Alright then…" she hummed. "Well, we have a plan set up. Stephen? Care to explain."

"Finally something to do." He exaggerated, rubbing at his side before kneeling and spreading out the paper. Showing a crude map of the town and forest along with some markers drawn on top outlining a area within the forest with red and polaroids pinned to the corners of cameras and fuzzy shapes of people.

There was a trail marked with blue leading towards and away from the building and paths around the building marked in orange along with certain areas being circled near the building. Off to the side was another sheet of paper with a legend. Red was the building, blue was their pathway and escape and orange were the known guards and the ranges of the cameras.

"Okay, so here's the deal. Me and Brigitte know where this place is and most of the outward security. Problem is, we don't know what's much about on the inside. So we'll need one of you to knock out the guards and let Brigitte pose as one of em' and steal the key. Initially it was gonna be me but… well, that's not really an option anymore."

Some of the engines flared at Duncan, who took a beat to realize this as he sipped from his third mug. Once he did he glanced over the rim. "Alright, alright, geez I'm sorry. Look I was jumpy and one of my best mates was just shot, I wasn't thinkin' straight."

"That implies you think at all." Falcon muttered not so subtly to Peter.

"It's more than you do, Bird Brain." He shot back.

The rest had a laugh at the good natured banter before Skarloey reigned them back in. "Anyways, go on Stephen."

"Alright, so where was I?"

"You said we needed to steal a key?"

He snapped his fingers. "Oh, right. Well, you'd need to grab more than just a key. You'd need a map of the facility to figure out where they'd be keeping Shale and where you can get the evidence."

Peter waved his hand, large sleeve flopping around. Stephen cocked an eyebrow before he pointed at him. "Umm, what exactly counts as evidence?"

"Well, just anything that would connect Topham to the crimes. Papers on experiments, clipboards, maybe a key card? If it's got fingerprints on it then we can use that. We'll get you boys some gloves so you don't get your own prints on em."

This time, Renneas raised his hand. "Excuse me, what exactly will you be doing? Given that you are physically impaired I wouldn't recommend attempting anything strenuous."

"Hey, just cause I'm a little busted doesn't mean I won't pull my own weight." He tried grinning, but it morphed into a hiss. "Me and my genius sis managed to figure out how to hack into the places system, it's pretty similar to the ones our dad had around the newer stations."

Stephen pulled out a floppy disk and set it on the table. "If you can find a computer, load this into it and I can try to access the whole place. It'll take time so try to keep anyone from getting too close and it's gotta stay there or else I'll lose my connection."

"How long exactly will this take?"

"Give or take twenty minutes." He guessed. "It shouldn't be detected from the network but anyone from the outside can manually disable it. But once it's in I can access the security cameras and play them on loop so nobody knows you're in there. I'll be able to get you a proper map of the location. And I could try to steal some files but then you'd have to bring back the drive and I don't want that risk."

"So to recap." His sister began, tracing the blue pathway. "We go down this route, grab and knock out one of the guards, get Brigitte the uniform, steal a key and upload the virus, have Stephen knock out the security system and them me and you boys search the facility for Shale and any evidence, then get out without being spotted."

"Well… that's certainly elaborate." Skarloey hummed. "Is there anything else we'll need to prepare?

"Not that I can think of immediately." She hummed. "Perhaps something to use to disguise yourselves when we're sneaking in or to hide the body. A way to store the information we find and some sort of ballistic protection."

"Pardon the interruption, but 'ballistic'?" Renneas asked.

"Oh, right. It means bullet resistance. But really, and sort of armour will do." Stephen cut in. "Though I don't have a clue where to find that. And I doubt we could just ask for a vest, given how we don't know which police officers are corrupt and I don't think they'd just hand that sort of equipment over to a civilian."

"Alright, so when do we start this?" Falcon asked.

"Whenever we can find some sort of bag." Stephen replied. Brigitte was already standing.

"Gimme a sec, I've got a purse we could use." She took off, running up the stairs to the bedroom. She fished around her shared dresser before pulling out a large brown purse that was mostly empty. Save for some cash, granola bars and makeup.

Closing the dresser, she drew the windows open out of habit. But then quickly shut them when she saw a police car rolling down the streets. She cursed under her breath and ran back down. Calling out halfway.

"It's the coppers boys, there's a back door to the yard. Hide there until we get you."

Stephen hastily folded up the map and handed the drive to Skarloey. "Keep it safe, you'll need it if something goes wrong."

He glanced down to the paper and them back to his face. "No, we won't leave you both here! We need you!"

"Skarloey we'll be alright. They're not gonna do anything to us." She had to refrain for adding a 'I hope' at the end of that.

He hesitated a moment longer before turning around to the others outside and following them outside. Being the last one out, he closed the door and hid with the others. The yard was filled with flowers, vegetables and bushes lining the sides with a single small tree at the center.

Most of them had hidden behind the bushes, crouched in the dirt while Peter Sam was directly behind the tree and Skarloey was pressed against the wall right by the door, hiding behind a wooden rocking chair on the porch.

Brigitte steeled herself when she heard the doorbell ringing. She had to rush and clear off the food and mugs from the table. Stephen tried to help but his sister just pushed him down and shoved a book to his chest.

"Stay here, we cant let them see you're injured. To many questions." She whispered and he nodded.

She couldn't keep them waiting. So after brushing down her blouse and skirt, she went to open the door. Standing there were three officers. Armed with a taser, pepper spray, handcuffs and a club. Each were slightly round, one had jet black hair slicked back while the other two had dirt brown hair that looked messy. But their eyes were harsh and cold and the pinched smile the black haired man had didn't help.

"Good evening Madam, we've had reports of suspicious individuals in the neighbourhood. We've been sent to investigate the houses in the area. Can't be too careful." He grinned.

She took a moment to ring herself in. "Well, that's certainly disturbing news."

They paused. "May I come in?"

"O-of course." She stepped aside. "Sure."

The brunette stepped aside, and the officers marched inside. Scanning the surrounding, one even walking up the stairs. They checked in the kitchen, pulling open cabinets and she could hear something slamming upstairs.

"Officers I assure you, there's nobody but me and my brother here-"

"Save it sweet cheeks." He brushed aside. Glancing into the living room with Stephen looking up from his book, trying to resist a frown from the others expressed.

The brown haired officer in the kitchen took note of the surplus of mugs in the kitchen along with some packages of food still lying half opened on the counter. "You lot just had breakfast?"

"Yes, we decided to… indulge a bit." She said.

The two brown haired men walked back to the living room, circling the twins. The black haired man crossed his arms and shook his head. "Listen doll, we aren't here to play games. We know who you're hiding. Just hand the bosses products over and we'll pretend this never happened."

Brigitte heard Stephen cuss under his breath. "We don't have a clue who you're talking ab-"

"Bullshit. We've got a report from our men you're harbouring our products." He sneered. "And if you ain't gonna talk-"

He gestured with his head to the two men who grabbed Brigitte and despite knowing that she couldn't break out, struggled anyways. But their grip held fast, fingers digging into her arms and leaving bruises.

Stephen tried to sit up and hide his wince. "Cut it out you brutes, my sis doesn't know anything."

The man just rolled his eyes and shoved him down, cruising Stephen to bite down on his tongue to keep from yelling from the pain. The older man stepped in front of Brigitte and held her chin, tipping her head harshly to the side.

"C'mon, just spill ya lil whore. Don't make this harder than it should." He demanded.

"The hell you say you fat cu-"

A punch to the nose was his answer. Brigitte screamed out in protest before the officer slapped a hand over her mouth. Soon after he recoiled due to the fact she had just bit down on his hand, hard enough to leave red welts and break the skin.

"You bitch!" He screamed. "I'm gonna make you regret that."

"You bastards!" He yelled over his cupped nose, bleeding but not broken. He forced himself up but the same man punched him in the stomach, causing him to fall to his knees. "Go, get outta here while ya still can!"

"Hold the bitch still." He ordered, smirking as he went to undo his belt.

Outside, Skarloey could hear them all screaming and Stephens last comment hit him hard, he wanted them to run. But he couldn't - wouldn't - not after everything they'd done for them. He glanced back to the others, not seeing any movement. He bit his lip, this was such an impulsive decision. Though he wouldn't leave the twins to whatever horrible fate would await them.

He burst in, throwing the door open and tacking the two men to the floor. Unfortunately, Brigitte went down with them and shrieked. The leader seemed too surprised to register what just happened.

He scrambled up and grabbed the arms of the leader. "Bridgett! Grab Stephen and go! Run!"

While Skarloey was inherently stronger, he was reluctant to use full strength and the other man was taller by a good inch and a half. Not to mention he was trained. He grabbed the engines forearms and kneed him in the stomach. Skarloey felt the air knocked out of his lungs and being thrown to the side. Then he heard more yelling.

It was the other engines, rushing into the room. Peter came first and body checked the two men again while Falcon rushed in after to swing at the other man's head, blindly throwing punches. The rest ran in afterwards, pulling the human twins and their leader to their feet. Duncan still straddled one of the brown haired thugs and steam seemed to be floating off from his body.

He didn't have time to question this. Brigitte scanned the bodies and went for their belts. "Hurry, grab their weapons! We've got to run."

"Where?!" Stephen questioned.

Then Rusty's eyes lit up. "We know a place. By our old railroad, there's a lake and a shed we can all hide in!"

It seemed to good to be true. "Great! Now let's get out of here boys, if these corrupt coppers know where we are, they're bound to send more when these brutes don't come back."

The engines helped pulling of the belts and helped carry Stephen through the yard and over the fence. Leading to an alley and opening to a street and across from that, the forest. They all ran through the trees, not caring to look back. Tearing through the rough terrain, they ran for what felt like hours until even the engines were left panting.

They'd manage to get to Falcon and Peters old railway before they all slumped against the dirt. Each of the engines now radiating steam making the air around them slightly humid.

"Is- is everyone alright? Skarloey asked, breathless.

"Yes, we… we're safe. All here." Renneas added.

"Good, good." He sighed. Tipping his head up to the sky. He took a deep breath before standing again. "We should keep moving, just in case they've got people following us."

"Wait-" Brigitte squinted. "Skarloey, hand me the map?"

He nodded, pulling it out from one of his pockets. Despite it being heavily wrinkled,she didn't have a problem reading the map. Then - to everyone's surprise - she laughed. "Well isn't that convenient."

She pointed to a lake, and just above it, was the laboratory.


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay, hopefully I'm not making Shale a Mary Sue. Call me out if I am. Along with the logistics of 'certain events'. But hey, it's all a fanfic about a world filled with sentient trains. Fit me nerds XD**

* * *

The motley group of humans and humanize day engines continued on the pathway to the lakeside cabin they'd use as their temporary home. Renneas and Rusty brought out some of the food they had as they all sat down in a circle inside.

"So, is everyone still in one piece?" Brigitte asked.

"More or less." Stephen joked. But closed his mouth at his sisters glare.

"Please take this seriously." She said plainly. "Look, we know where we need to go, we have our plan and - if it comes down to it - viable weapons."

"And I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that." Peter mumbled.

"We all do." Skarloey stated. His brother and Rusty handed over some of the food and offered water to all of them.

The narrow gauge leader folded out the map onto the wooden floor. He stroked his chin in a thoughtful motion. "We're pretty close to one of the patrols. I think if we hid in a bush we could steal their outfit for you."

"Yes, that was what I had in mind." Bridgette added. She pointed to a spot on her neck. "There's a spot at the base of our neck that can knock a human out. Aim for there when you hit. Try not to hit to hard, cause… well. Then they'll either be dead or paralyzed."

Each of the engines flinched slightly. But then Renneas cocked his head. "Paralyzed?"

"Means they won't be able to move." Stephen answered.

"Oh."

Even as engines, they had the capacity to move. Not being able to do so at all, the idea terrified them. Skarloey breathed deep and sighed. "So, what else do we need to do?"

"Not much. We still have our plan. Get a uniform, sneak inside, set up the virus, find Shale and some evidence and get out."

"Would it be better to split up in two groups?" Renneas asked. "This way we can search the facility faster."

"Yes, but if we do, then we have a higher chance of getting lost. And we have no efficient way of contacting each other." Skarloey added.

His brother nodded in agreement. "That is a good argument."

"Oh!" Brigitte snapped her fingers. "I've got an idea. After we load the virus onto the computer, we could have one if you come with me and pretend to be captured. I get you to the holding area and you break out Shale. You two then meet back at a set location and then we all run back here. If this area is compromised, then head back to your old railway."

The engines glanced to each other. The human twins did as well. Stephen spoke up. "We know this is probably an uncomfortable idea. If you don't want to do it, we can stick to the old plan."

Finally, Duncan sighed. "Y'know what, fine. I'll do it."

Falcon immediately a double take at that. "Wait, what?"

"Look, she's the only decent human we know. An' she's just a kid. If this means she'll get out faster, then it'll be worth it." He explained. "It's gonna be hell goin' back there. But if we get her out it'll be worth it."

"Thank you Duncan." Edward expressed. Squeezing the others hand. "Thank you so much."

The other coughed and patted his hand. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome ya old puffball."

"Well, alright." Brigitte nodded. "There's a patrol not to far from here, we can knock him out." She sighed and rubbed her face. "I can't believe we're really doing this. This is happening."

The silence stretched on for a few minutes longer. Each of them taking that in. Yes, this was happening. All of this was happening. Each of the engines thoughts were unique as to how they felt, some anxious, some angry, some determined. But each of them - including the humans - wanted justice.

Justice for all the wrongs committed, justice for those who deserved it for all the things they get away with. This was it. Skarloey stood and breathed him before offering his hand to Brigitte.

"We do this together. All of us. We go together and we leave together." He promised. The others nodded, emboldened by his promise.

They all stepped out together, Briggite taking point and holding the map out to track how far they were from the guard. She handed Skarloey and Renneas one of the handcuffs each while she gave Stephen the peper spray and she took the club. It was about mid afternoon, so the sun was still high in the sky. But despite that, the sky was a pale grey-blue and the few clouds cast additional shadows among the ones formed by the trees.

She had to squint, but she could make out the shape of a man in a grey uniform and helmet carrying a rifle with a light attached to the tip. There were an array of bushes and thick trees, she pointed to each engine and then to where they'd hide. Skarloey and Renneas were both positions closest to the guards path, squeezing the others hand for reassurance.

The guard turned to their way and just as his back was turned, Skarloey leaped out and chopped at his neck. The man was only briefly able to gasp in shock before he fell to the ground. He caught him by the shoulders before he hit the ground and dragged him back.

Brigitte began pulling of the pieces of the uniform while the others left to find a place to hide the body. They cuffed him to a low hanging branch and gagged him with his sock. By the time they got back she was in the middle of adjusting the helmet so it fit better.

"Alright, so Duncan, you're gonna have to come with me." She announced. They'd have him hiding in the bushes and Brigitte would pretend to be surprised and call for help from the fellow guards who'd help take him in.

He nodded and got into positions. Skarloey and the others waiting for the verbal signal to run to the back doors of the facility marked on their map once the virus was loaded.

She continued the path of the guards patrol while Duncan hid in a spot along the way. As she circled around again, he snapped a twig and her head snapped to his position.

"Who's there!" She yelled, attracting the attention of the other guards in the area. She along with the others slowly circle around where Duncan hid before he sprung out from the trees and tacking her.

She cried out in mock shock as they wrestled and pretended to struggle before she slapped on the handcuffs and pinned him to the ground.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"Get the hell offa me ya filthy meat sack!" He screamed. She grinned, he probably wanted to say that to her anyways.

"Wow, what's it doing here? I thought that machines were supposed to be smarter than that." One of the guards commented.

Another laughed. "This one sure ain't. C'mon, bring it inside. Boss'll wanna see this one."

Brigitte had to try to hide her expression. "Boss? Ya mean Tophan?"

"Duh, who else."

She tried to hide her shaking but nodded as she guided Duncan to the building as he struggled the whole way. He nearly even got away, if it wasn't for one of the other guards shoving the butt of his gun into his lungs

They stepped inside the concrete facility which looked no more different than the outside safe for the solid steel doorways. "So, where do we put him?"

"We put it with the others. Cell Block A, down the hall and to the left." He stated. She nodded as they guided her to the area, likely because they knew of the engines strength.

The only thing unique about this door was the large letter 'A' spray painted on. There were two rows of thick metal doors - though each were unlocked with the same key - and before they entered they stripped Duncan of all his clothes. Brigitte made sure to try and glance away at that. She was not interested in knowing exactly how human they'd become.

They forced him into a pale, thin blue gown and after opening one of the far too cramped cages they threw him inside. Brigitte only got a short glance, but she saw no trace of Shale and her rusty hair.

"Shit." She hissed. "Excuse me, I was made aware that there was a… special subject captured. I didn't see her in the cell block."

The two guards glanced behind her. "Subject 062 has been deemed a High Risk factor and has been stored in a more secure location."

She didn't try to press further, it'd look to suspicious. Thankfully, they had to return to their post so she was left to herself. She recalled seeing a map near the entrance, showing the three main hallways, a cafeteria and the current area she was in - the cell blocks.

Turning into one of the hallways, she subtly peeked through the rooms before finding one with a computer. After a sideways glance to be sure nobody was following her, she slipped inside and loaded the drive.

Waiting by the monitor as the virus loaded, once it did Brigitte had full access to each of the cell cameras and controls. Flipping through she found the one with Duncan impatiently shaking the bars while another displayed the outside in grainy footage.

The loop was already set so she quickly left to get the others. Leaving through one of the emergency back entrances, she made sure to check again as she approached their hiding spot.

"Pst, did you know shale rocks are red?"

That was their code and each of the engines peeked out from their hiding areas. "Did you load it?" Her brother asked.

"Yea, it's in. But there's a problem. Shale isn't kept in the main cell blocks."

"Damn." Stephen hissed. "Got any idea where she is?"

"Well, there's only three big hallways, so it shouldn't take too long to find her. So that's a slight alteration, Duncan should be able to break out of his holding area with some help, but I don't think this'll be as clean of a getaway as we all hoped."

Skarloey nodded. "Alright, so we all go back in and pair of to search for Shale. Once we do we help to break Duncan out again and get out as soon as we can."

Each of the engines nodded and split up, Skarloey with Renesas, Peter with Falcon and Rusty with Stephen and Edward. Brigitte snuck then all through the back entrance and lead them down to the room with the hacked computer.

Stephen sat down and told the others that if he caught anything suspicious, he'd have Rusty run the message to them. Afterwards they all split of to check the second hallway. He asked Edward to stay by his side and warn him if he heard anything. He trusted the engine more than himself to carry his weight out the door if worse came to worse. That, and despite his improving mental health, he could still see that Edward was shaken deeper than the others once they stepped inside. Call it brotherly intuition.

Meanwhile, while Duncan sat thinking about breaking out himself, he glanced to the others in the cages. And despite all his bravado, he couldn't help but feel unsettled. Seeing the other former engines broken and shaking made him feel equally hopeless. But then something caught his eye.

It was a human, evident by her long, blond hair and pale skin. She was small and covered in bruises. She looked familiar. He crawled over to the edge of his cage and reached out to try and tap on the bars.

"Pst, hey, hey kid." He whispered. "Ya ain't one of us, what'cha doin here?"

She curled her arms in tighter and pressed back away from him. Duncan cringed to himself and pulled back. "Alright, well, names Duncan. What's yours?"

When she didn't respond he sighed. "Kid, listen, I know you're scared as hel-heck. I'm kinda freaked out too. But you gotta talk to me if you wanna get outta here."

The little girl - after a long minute - shuffled forward. "D-Diana."

"Holy shi-sugar." Duncan exclaimed, catcing himself at the end if his sentence. But he cracked her a lopsided grin. "Kid, this'll either be the best or worse day of your life."

He glanced up to the cameras again, no signal; it being th camera bobing up and down. "Just you wait, kid. We'll get you outta here." Duncan really was starting to get impatient, but he knew the others would come for them. And even if they didn't, he could break them all out regardless.

Outside, Peter and Falcon poked through open doors together, calling out for Shale quietly. Stephen kept a close eye on their hallway specifically, it was dangerously close to the mess hall which was crawling with off duty guards and scientists. But there were also regular patrols in the halls.

One was getting close to their position, he told Rusty who nodded and bolted of to them. He managed to reach them and warn the two, giving them enough time to duck into a empty supply closet. They all held their breath as the guard passed by. His footsteps fell like rocks through the silence.

But once he did pass, Peter was the first to peek outside. Looking to both sides, he saw no one and called the others out. They looked down the hall, lined with the same metal doors but more sterile. Each labeled Laboratory A and Brespectively.

That's when they noticed they didn't walk into a closet. It was another lab. Inside was a long metal table with dozens of leather straps and a cart filled with medical tools none of them knew the function or use of, but looks painful regardless. There were cabinets lined with papers, stained black and red. The air smelt of old blood and oil masked with chlorine. It made each of them gag and Falcon had to try not to puke again.

They all knew the implications of this place, none of them said anything. Rusty left, stating that he needed to get back to Stephen and told them to leave if they needed. But Falcon shook his head and forced himself to step in further and hastily read over the papers.

Beside that, were more small bottles of clear liquid and syringes. The same shape as the ones Shale had. He couldn't understand most of the words, but what stood out the most were ' _experiments_ ', ' _improvements_ ', ' _usefulness_ ' and ' _subjects_ '. Along with it were polaroids of what looked like a adult human strapped to a table, struggling against the restraints. Under it was a label stating ' _3 Days into Treatment_ '. The picture were each labeled with the number of days into this 'treatment'. Starting from there and moving up to almost two month. Since they were all in black and white, it was hard to see many changed, but there were other notes of to the side.

' _Subject 027 shows promising physical results in testing, being able to carry a load exeding 100 kilograms. Skin pigmentation had begun altering. Mental state deteriorated, delusions and decreased literacy and comprehension. Subject 027 deemed useless and will be terminated and dissected for further research to improve the Treatment_.'

Falcon swallowed hard. "They-they were working on other humans." He muttered. "They're tryin' to make more of us out of em'. Or at least do something to make em as strong as us."

This made Peter visibly angry, fisting the loose material of his sweater. "I can't believe this, why would they do this to their own? All for what? Money?"

"Probably, cheap labor too I guess. Or a tourist attraction, turn em into a freak show. It's the only reason they kept us around." Falcon muttered. "C'mon, lets get outta here."

Peter nodded meekly, then rushed up and pulled the other in for a hug. The other raised his free arm and pressed closer, that's when he realized he'd been shaking. After a moment, they nodded to each other and left the room together. They ran back to Rusty and Stephen and showed them what they found and both of them looked mixed between yelling or being sick.

"Oh, oh gosh. This is… Is is worse then anything I expected." Stephen wispered. "The legal system was always flimsy when it came to living machines, but this… there's no way they can ignore this. This is illegal human experimentation, wrong no matter how you cut it."

"That's a understatement if I've ever heard one." Falcon snapped. "We've got the evidence. Now we gotta get Shale and Duncan, the others here too."

Stephen opened his mouth to protest. But snapped shut, he had an expression that said he'd go through it no matter what he'd say. "Okay, it's gonna be harder to get everyone away. We'll need a big distraction."

"We'll figure that out once we're there." Falcon countered. "Where are the others?"

Stephen looked and flipped through the cameras. Skarloey and Renneas had finished looking through the second hallway and had turned to the third. But just as they did, a guard walked out from a side door connected to the cafeteria and Skarloey just managed to pull his brother back.

"Shit." Stephen hissed. They couldn't hear anything from the cameras but they saw the guards suspicion. He began walking down the hall, and had a pistol cocked up. All they could do is watch as the brothers hid behind the corner.

Renneas breath caught as he heard the footsteps. But Skarloey squeezed his hand, a silent promise to trust him. He nodded as he footsteps came closer and he saw his brother close his eyes.

None of them expected what he do next.

Skarloey burst around the corner and charged, Renneas heard a loud bang and something crack and when he turned the corner the man was on the ground with his brother standing over. He didn't have time to say anything as he was dragged in to an empty room just as more men came rushing in from the cafeteria. They bolted back down the hall and hid in the janitors closet as they heard yelling. That's when Renneas finally saw his brothers face properly.

He'd been shot, right through his right eye at an angle. It didn't go straight through, but that didn't make the sight less gruesome. There was just a black pit where his eye was leaking oil that trickled down his cheek and another hole above his ear. Renneas clamped his hand over his mouth, to shocked to speak.

When Skarloey has charged, all he had felt was something fly through his face as he punched the man straight at his face. Now, he couldn't see out of his right eye and he felt slightly dizzy and oddly euphoric. It was only once he felt the liquid drip down his face was when he realized why. There wasn't any pain as he probed the hole. But he knew he needed to patch it or something bad might happen.

Scanning the room with his one good eye, he found a rag and tied it hastily around his head. Renneas was still in shock, Skarloey tried not to think about what he'd just done. He'd said he'd wouldn't let his friends be hurt and he meant it.

* * *

 **Again, don't read to much into that. Also just to be clear, it was established in the comic this was based on that the humanize engines don't feel pain.**

 **Not to mention the mental handicaps that come with loosing a chunk of your brain. Google em' you've got the internet, use it.**


	29. Chapter 29

Despite the padding in Shales cell, she could hear the sudden bang along with the yelling. Something had just happened. Suddenly sirens flew on, red lights flashing through her room. Well, this seemed like as good of a distraction as she'd get.

Pulling against the chains, she used this to lever herself by pushing of the wall with her legs. The cement holding the chains down began to crack and after a minute of straight pulling, they popped loose, sending her towards the ground.

She could still feel the pain of landing on her bruises and fresh stitches, but it wasn't enough to make her black out. She pushed herself up and tried to yank the chains off,p and managed to do so, leaving only the silver cuffs.

Shale could still hear the yelling from the other side of the door. She started pounding on the door in an attempt to try and draw attention. But as she managed to make a dent in the metal, another siren went of from j side the room.

Vents on the ceiling above her slid open and some sort of green glass began spilling in. Terror filled her eyes as she screamed louder for someone to let her out. The gas began to take up half the room at this point.

It burned at her eyes and throat as she tried to force herself to not hyperventilate, that'd only kill her faster. In a last ditch attempt, she backed of to the far wall of the room and charged. Ramming the metal door at full force.

And it worked. She crashed to the ground and gasped for clear air. As her vision cleared, she could hear people yelling in the distance. Shale forced herself up to look around.

Lights were blaring from the walls and alarms rung throughout the hall. She could vaguely hear footsteps around the corner and she forced herself up to try and run in the opposite direction.

Whatever that gas was, it was powerful. Acid still burnt her throat, eyes and any exposed skin like she was being stabbed with dozens of needles all over. She had to lean against the corner of the hallway just to keep herself from throwing up as her vision spun.

Once she glanced up, she saw the shape of someone in green and blue running towards her calling her name. Her mind had cleared enough to realize that it was Peter and Falcon. She gave a weak grin as they helped her up.

"Shale! How did you escape! Are you okay?" Peter asked excitedly.

" 'Parantly I got super strength now." She mumbled, gritting her teeth at the feeling of her raw skin being rubbed. "Where the hell is everyone? What's happenin'?"

"We came here to break you out." Falcon stated, smiling. "Looks like ya did fine on your own. But now we've gotta get Duncan outta his cell."

"Wait what?" She exclaimed.

She didn't have time for an explanation as three more guards came up behind them. Shale shoved them into one of the side doors just as they began to open fire. Scanning the area, she realized it was some sort of mess hall. Grabbing one of the tables, she pushed to against the doorway and gestured for the others to help.

"This ain't gonna hold em for long." Falcon stated. "We've gotta find the others. Anyone remember where the cells were?"

"I think so." Shale said, pointing to one of the doors. "But we've gotta get a key card from one of the guards, or else they'll gas the rooms if Duncan tries to break out."

"And how are we gonna do that?" He snapped.

As they argued, Peter looked over to the food counters. This was a ridiculous plan, yes, but also their only plan. He tugged at the sleeve of Falcons shirt. Hastily explaining his idea.

::::

Renneas was still shocked to silence at the sight of his brother losing his eye. Skarloey set a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down and just breath, I'll be okay."

"You'll be okay!?" He cried. "You were just shot! How are you not dead? What were you thinking?!"

He made a 'shh' motion. "Please, I had to do it or else they'd shoot both of us. We need to find Duncan and get everyone else out. We can worry about my eye later."

Renneas was still shaking, his hands tugging at his sleeves. But he nodded. Skarloey walked back to the door and pressed his ear to the side. Save for the alarms, he didn't hear anything.

"I think it's safe now, we need to be sure Rusty and Stephen are safe. They can show us where the others are." He explained. Slowly, he pushed the door open. Grabbing his brothers arm he dashed outside back towards the room.

At said room, Stephen struggled to maintain control over the camera system. When the alarms finally went off, they had realized his virus and both were locked in a digital fight for the system. Rusty had knocked out another guard who'd gotten to close and now held a revolver in his hands, standing guard outside. Brigitte had run back to them and watched over her brother from inside.

When he saw the brothers turn the corner, it took a moment for him to realize who it was. Thankfully, he didn't shoot. "Thank goodness both of you ar-" he gasped at the bloodied bandage.

"Skarloey! What happened?"She cried.

"It's fine, where are the other?"

"Stephen last saw them in Hall C." Rusty said. "Duncan is still, in the cells. Skarloey what do we do?"

"Get Stephen out of here, you need the evidence to prove what they're doing here. Hide out in the shack. We'll come find you." He ordered.

Rusty reluctantly nodded. "Alright, okay."

Stephen grit his teeth as he punched in the last few keys. "Okay, I've shut down their camera system form now so they won't know where to look. You've all got about fifteen or so minutes till they're reset. Find Duncan and Shale and get out of here."

Skarloey nodded and they both split of. "Wait!" Rusty called out, throwing the gun to them. "Take it, you'll need it more than we will."

Renneas caught it and continue to follow. Running down the red tinted hallways to the cells.

But the guards seemed to have finally gathered their wits. Four men stopped them in the hallway, each armed with shock batons. Renneas raised his gun to fire at the men, but Skarloey was already charging them.

He punched one straight in the head, followed by a crack. Two of them batted down across his torso but Skarloey bucked one into the wall and wrestled the baton out of the other. The one kicked to the wall went flying and left cracks in the concrete, leaving only two standing.

This wasn't like his brother. He wasn't normally this reckless, but he had to help him. Holstering the gun, Renneas jumped on the back of one of the guards and punched the side of his head, trying to restrain his strength. The man scrambled and grabbed him by the shoulders to thrown him onto the ground.

Skarloey only gave a quick "Look out!" Before throwing the last guard towards both of them, sending all three towards the ground. Both guards were knocked out and he pulled his brother up from the mess.

"Don't do that again Skarloey!" He scolded. "Please, we need to think about our actions. Our priority should be getting the others out."

He blinked hard, as if struggling to remember. "Right, right. Where were we going?"

"Hall C, we're getting close, we need to hurry." Renneas urged. This wasn't good, but he'd have to deal with it later. If they all got out of this alive.

::::

Once everything was set, Peter and Falcon hid behind the upturn tables and motioned for Shale to pull out the door. She nodded and kicked it out of the way. Immediately, six guards stormed in.

Immediately after, they were all barraged with various foods from behind the tables. Courtesy of Peter and Falcon. It splattered over their helmets, obscuring their vision long enough for the trio to charge from behind cover and body slam them to the ground.

Shale kicked away the gun of the one she'd tackled and wrestled to stay on top while searching for a key. She found it around his neck and ripped the cord of before elbowing him in the head.

"I've got it!" She yelled. "Let's get outta here!"

Peter and Falcon had been fighting two men each, only one of them had a gun while the rest had more shock batons and clubs. Shale glanced back to a leftover tray and yelled 'heads down!' before flinging it towards the, like a frisbee.

It managed to knock down one, leaving a large dent in the pan. She got into an arm lock with the third while Peter and Falcon ran around trying to distract both while the other jumped on their backs and beat their skulls in.

One grabbed Peter of their back and slammed him to the ground. Falcon cried out and ran over to him, kneeing the man in the gut. But while his back was turned, the last guard cracked his club over his back.

He collapsed onto Peter who hastily tried to shuffled away as the guard looked over. Shale managed to disoriented her guard by headbuting him and quickly jabing him in the stomach and kicking him away.

She grabbed the leftover tray and smacked the back of his head hard. He dropped like a sack of bricks and Peter pulled his friend up from under him.

"Damn." Shale hissed. "None of them have a key."

"So what do we do now?" Peter asked anxiously.

"Run in, break em out and hope we don't pass out I guess."

"Because that's a brilliant plan if I ever heard one." Falcon snapped. "But she's got a point, guess we'll just have to be quick about it."

She nodded. "Okay, so let's keep movin'."

They peeked out the doorway before continuing down the hall. As they they turned the next corner, Shale heard more footsteps and pushed them both back against the wall. She counted down to three before they all charged around the corner to tackle the guards to the ground.

Expect this time they weren't guards. It was Skarloey and Renneas who promptly cried out in shock as they were all sent hurdling towards the ground. "Ahh what the - Peter? Falcon!"

"Me too." Shale added, groaning as she pushed herself up. She could feel the stitches on her legs loosening and something leek down her leg. It was uncomfortable, but thankfully she could still run. Offhandedly, she remembered Skarloey still had the glass knife in his pocket.

That's when they all noticed their leaders eye. Renneas grit his teeth for a moment. "We'll explain once we're all out, Shale, do you remember which room they took you to?"

"No, I was knocked out by the time they dragged me in." She explained. "But it's bound to be obvious which it is. Start knockin' on doors and see if Duncan's in there but don't break in yourself. They gas the rooms when someone tries to break out."

Renneas dragged a hand through his hair. "Alright, everyone start looking. Peter, Falcon, watch the halls and yell if someone's coming."

The brothers and Shale split of to search. But from inside the cells, Duncan had lost his patience. Gripping the bars of the cage, he bent them apart wide enough for him to step through and glanced to the door. Then down to the cages.

"Hey, kid." He called out. The little girl had been sleeping but perked up once he called out to her. "Stand back, I'm gonna get you outta here." He set his foot on the corner of the cage, grabbed the bars and pulled up. Though with more force than necisary.

He ended up pulling out the bars clean from the cage and stumbled back. Duncan huffed and stood, looking to the rest of the cages. "Oy! Up at em you lot! We"re gettin' outta here!"

No reply came from the huddled gray masses. The little girl had stepped out of her cage hesitantly. He frowned at the lack of any reaction and bent down to another cage. The same one with the humanized engine with long black hair. On a closer look, he could see small streaks of light blonde.

"Didn't ya hear me? I said were gettin you outta here." He repeated.

Once again no response. "Alright that's it." He took the same stance and pulled the bars apart, leaving the entrance wide open. He continued with the several other cages in the room. "Move it ya lazy cu- cups! We're leavin'!"

Despite the lack of reaction or show that they'd follow, he stepped back to the far end of the wall and got ready to charge. Letting out a battle cry, he rammed the door elbow first. The crash echoed through the room as the door fell.

But once it hit the ground, there was a creak and loud hiss as green glass began to flood the room. He looked up in confusion until he felt his eyes begin to water. There was a vent leaking gas right above him and the little girl cried out in pain.

"Shit. Shit!" He cussed and began banging on the door. "Oy! Help, get me outa here! Get us out! Help us! Help us!"

Outside, Renneas heard the pounding of metal. "Duncan? Oh god Duncan! Everyone, he's in here!"

They all rushed to his side, panicking at the sight of gas already leaking in. "Shit! Duncan! Can you hear us? We're gonna get you out!" Falcon called out.

"If you can hear us, we're gonna break down the door!" Shale yelled. "Everyone stand back and two of you ram the door, grab him and run!"

They all nodded and Peter and Falcon stepped up to charge the door, they ended up partially stumbling into the room and covering their faces with their sleeves as they pulled Duncan out of the room as gas began to leak into th hallway.

"The gi-" Duncan coughed hard as he forced himself to speak. "Girl in there - Diana. A-and-" Before he could finish, he broke into another fit.

Renneas was the first to recall her. Brigitte's daughter. He swallowed before charging back inside to the room, the gas made his eyes water and his head light. But he managed to make out the form of a little human lying face first on the ground.

He hoisted her up in a bridal position and rushed out. "I've got her! Go! Go!"

They all ran towards the fire escape, yelling could be heard from the guards as they broke out in a sprint across the open area. There had been at least half a dozen guards patrolling the perimeter and three of them were running at them.

"Get out of here!" Skarloey yelled, running at the guards.

"Skarloey!" Renneas called to his brother. The three had surrounded his brother, each armed with bats.

Panicking, Shale let out a battle cry and tried to charge one guard. But he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her to the ground. She fought to stay awake as she heard more yelling in the background. The man straddled her hips and the hand around her throat tightened and she clawed at his hands and tried to buck him of.

Her vision began to fade but the weight on top of her was suddenly thrown off and someone yells in her ear to keep running. Recalling where she was, she followed as the group crashed through the underbrush. Shale gasped as she tried to catch her breath as branches and rocks cut her feet.

Her head, legs and skin all burnt and screamed, but the hand dragging her didn't stop and neither did she. It felt like hours passed as they ran and when they finally stopped, Shale felt like passing out. Even the engines were out of breath. But they had enough strength to cram into the shack where Rusty, Stephen and Edward were waiting.

Rusty gasped once he took in the state of his friends. "Bust my buffers. What happened? Are you all alright?"

Edward had run up for a hug until he realized the shape they were all in. He lead Shale down to the bench and laid her down. He looked both relived and terrified when he took in her bruises, open stitches and red dashed skin.

The rag Skarloey used as a bandaid was soaked black and dripping. Renneas had dark bruises and cuts across his face and he clutched his right arm as it hung limp. Peter, Falcons and Duncan's skin looked irritated and slightly burnt - though the latter got the worst of it - and Duncan's breath came in shallow gasps.

Rusty explained to them all that Briggite had run into town to call the police. She'd be back in about ten more minutes, they needed to hold out until then.

"God, you all look worse for wear." Stephen commented. "But at least your all in one piece."

Shale managed a weak thumbs up and let her head fall to the side. The rest of the boys had sat down in a loose circle. Each exhausted and damaged. Then she squinted at Skarloeys hands.

There were red stains around them and whiped in his pants.

"The knife." She croaked out. They all looked to her then to Skarloey who had his head cast down as he tried to hide to blood on his hands.

"I-I had to. He would've - would've killed you. I had to, I had to" He stuttered.

* * *

 **Incase anyone her hasn't figure out why Skarloey is so much more reckless, it's cause if where he was shot. The frontal lobe controls a lot of functions but some of them being his fear response and some social regulations. Causing a lack of restraint and impulsive behaviour.  
**

 **Oh and probably a large chunk of memory. That's gone too.**


	30. Chapter 30

There wasn't much everyone could do but wait and try to treat their wounds. But there wasn't much that could be done about that either. The most that could be done were ripped of scraps of cloth tied around Shales cuts, nobody knew what to do about the burns.

It helped that at least the engines couldn't feel them. But it didn't change the fact that they were all still damaged. The air was somber and smelt of old oil.

Eventually, Duncan spoke out again. "Wait, how are we supposed to trust the coppers? Didn't ya say they were bein' paid off?"

"Yea, but I don't think they knew about the human experimentation." Stephen explained. "They were paid to keep hush hush about the engines - all the children and tourists that come to the islands love you lot - so if word got out you were being basically tortured, the I doubt we'd get as much business."

"Your putting a lot of faith in humanity." Falcon added.

He just gave a tired sigh. "Yea, I know. But believe me when I say that there are still good people in the world. They just get drowned out by all the bad."

Shale huffed out a laugh. "Right, sure."

"Well to bad, we still don't like humans." Skarloey started, crossing his arms and pouting.

Renneas set a arm on his shoulder. "Brother, please-"

"Oh shut up." He rolled his eyes. And that reaction even shocked Duncan. Said engine torn between yelling or slapping the other. Skarloey seemed to have picked up on the shift of atmosphere.

"I-what were we talking about?" He asked. His hand went to his forehead and rubbed like he had a headache. "I can't seem to remember."

All the engines exchanged weird looks. Renneas glanced over to both Stephen and Shale, the later of which shrugged. The older gave it more though.

"Maybe his memory was damaged. I don't know much about anatomy, but I'm pretty sure being shot in the head will do that. I'm still amazed you're still standing."

"Well, then that's a good thing!" Skarloey piped up. He glanced around the shack. "So, how long do we stay here for? Why can't we go out?"

"Do you seriously not remember?" Falcon asked incredulously. "You just killed someone! We almost died! Don't you remember that."

He blinked his remaining eye, before jumping in his seat. "Oh."

"Look, we're all tired and hurt but we need to keep positive." Stephen insisted again. "We found all the evidence we needed, everyone is here and we can shut down Topams work once and for all."

"That's if they don't decide to sell us of." Shale countered.

He opened his mouth to retort again. But instead remained silent. The rest of the engines followed in suit. Then Peter noticed their pile of books in the corner, dragged them over and began reading.

Edward squeezed her hand as if she'd disappeared into thin air. "Shale, I'm just so happy your back. Never again, never again."

"Never again will you leave me? Then how am I gonna go to the bathroom?" She cracked. Edward immediately flushed and tilted his head to the side. "But really, it's great to be outta that hell hole."

The engine had all begun reading - none of them knew what else to do. Skarloey squinted at the pages Renneas pointed to. "What exactly is this? I don't even know what all this means."

"What do you- oh." He caught himself. "It's about the islands history. What do you remember?"

"Something about a Thin Controller," he though. "we were called the Narrow Gauge engines. Right?"

"Yes, that's true. You still remember the others?" Renneas asked. "I'm your brother, Renneas. That's Duncan, Falcon, Peter, Rusty and Stephen."

"Falcon?" He cocked his head. "But weren't you called Sir Handl?"

Said engine wrinkled his nose at that. "That wasn't ever my name, it's Falcon. And Falcon does things his way."

"Keep tellin' yourself that Steamroller." Duncan teased, shoving him playfully.

Falcon just smirked. "Oh like you're one to talk, Mr Rock and Roll."

They all laughed at that. But Renneas still noticed his brother was confused. "How much do you still remember about us Skarloey?"

He ducked his head again and balled his fists. "I-I don't know."

"What?" Duncan asked. "What'd the old steamer say?"

"I said I don't know!" He screamed.

Everyone in the room flinched at the sudden rise of volume. Skarloey's shoulders shook, as if trying to restrain something within him. "I don't know, okay!"

"A-alright. Alright." Renneas smoothed his hand over his brothers. "Well, now we have a chance to relax. We'll tell you everything."

And so they did, despite the tension, recounting old stories from their engine days lightened the mood. Falcon and Peter spoke of Grandpuff, Rusty and the boulder incident, Duncan and the elephant and Renneas helping to fill in all the gaps. Stephen and Edward would also occasional pitch in, adding their own stories from the railroad.

They laughed and teased each other for what felt like hours. They were bittersweet memories, filled with loved ones long past. Eventually, they heard someone running up to the cabin. Newly invigorated, Skarloey stood by the entrance in a protective stance.

The others expected one of the guards to come running, but to everyone's relief and joy, it was Brigitte. "Got- got the police. Circling the - the lab. Th-them bastards gettin' it now."

Renneas helped ease her to the ground as she relayed her story. She'd run into town and bolted into the police station and slapped down the evidence. Brigitte had nearly been thrown outside if it wasn't for a single officer who took her plea seriously.

And once they read over the reports, they could see why she was so frantic. Other officers protested, but they were drowned out by the majority who were volunteering to raid the lab.

They were in the process of just that. At least five police vans worth of officers were arriving at the lab while one was there to take them to the hospital.

At the last part, each of the engines tenses. "I know you lot don't exactly have the most positive outlook on authority-"

"Understatement of the year!" Shale called out.

Brigitte shot her a look. ",anyways, but you'll all need help. Especially Skarloey. They're your best bet."

Renneas but his lip. But eventually nodded. "Fine, if it means we can help Skarloey. We'll come with them."

All the engines stood and helped one another out the door. Even Duncan didn't protest, save for a rather obvious glare directed at other humans. They all stuck in a tight huddle behind the twins as the van opened out and a red head in his early twenties stepped out.

"My god, you really weren't jokin'." He muttered. "I mean, not that that's a bad thing. I don't mean to be rude."

"Apology accepted." Brigitte said. "We're coming with you. You lot better keep our boys safe or else."

Skarloey tilted his head at that. "'Our boys'?"

"Uhh." Brigitte tugged at the collar of her blouse. "Well, I'm sorry. But you're more of a family than ours ever were. If it makes you uncomfortable I won't say it ag-"

"Oh shut it, we don't give a damn." Falcon said, though there was no malice in his voice. "I doubt any of use will mind. Out of all the humans we've met, you two are some of the best."

"Ha, what am I then?" Shale added.

"I guess you'd be our little sister then!" Peter exclaimed.

They all laughed softly as they hesitantly stepped into the vehicle. None of them enjoyed confined spaces, their time in the tubes only emphasizing the fear. Shale grew anxious both from the fact she couldn't see the sky and that she was surrounded by police officers.

They'd try to throw her in a disciplinary home, or back to the orphanage. Neither of which she could stand. She and the rest of the engines sat pressed together on the bench, at least the rest of the humans sat on the opposite ends.

They closed the doors and yelled for them to start driving. Each of the engines tensed, feeling each bump on the forest road.

"Despite it all, I think I much preferred the rails." Rusty mumbled.

The red head looked off to the side and coughed in his hand. "So, uh. Hello," He waved. "my name's Jack."

Skarloey looked at his hand, then to his face. Ever since he'd entered the van he had an expression of clear irritation on his face. "You expect me to give you mine?"

"Manners." Renneas scolded. "My apologies, I'm Renesas. This is my brother Skarloey, that's Duncan, Rusty, Falcon, Peter Sam and Shale. Sorry for the rude behaviour, but we're all… incredibly anxious being here."

"I don't blame you guys." He sighed. "Geez, I'm so sorry about everything. I didn't even know this was all happening."

"Riiiiight." Shale drawled. "Sure."

Jack flinched at that. Brigitte tried to think of something to say. "Look, I know none of you have a reason to trust Jack. But he's a good man. Believe me."

"Alright." Duncan shrugged. His nonchalant reaction confused her, until he suddenly grabbed the collar of his uniform. "But if you bastards try any of yer tricks, I'll turn ya into pulp. Got it?"

"Duncan!" Renneas yelled, pulling him back. He let go of Jacks, who nodded hastily.

"Just makin sure." He frowned. "Just cause you lot trust 'im don't mean we will."

"That's… less than ideal." Brigitte said. "But understandable."

The ride was filled with a tense silence all the way through. Save for the occasional bump, nothing too exciting happened. There were windows on the walls behind them and some of the engines would occasionally peek through.

They passed towns they'd seen from the rails, but were unfamiliar from an insiders perspective. People would point and glance at the vans and Renneas discouraged Peter from sticking his hands out and waving.

Soon, then pulled up to a large building with a red cross painted on the front. Bushes and flowers were laid across the grounds in neat rows and some patients could be seen in wheelchairs, being pushed around by medical staff.

Falcon, Peter, Brigitte, and Skarloey all peeked through the windows to try and watch what was happening.

Police officers jumped out from the vans and medical staff came running with a stretcher already prepared. The back door opened and they ushered for Skarloey lie down. They crowded over the entrance, emphasizing their claustrophobia.

But he outright growled at the humans and both Duncan and Shale looked ready to throw hands. Stephen made a calm down motion to them while Brigitte forced them back.

"Have some common sense you lot." She snapped. "These boys are traumatized, the least you could do is give them some space."

Stephen managed to calm the engines and human down for now. "Look, like you said, Skarloey's gonna have to get his eye checked over. No one but the doctors will be allowed inside. You're gonna have to trust them. I don't like it either but I promise you'll be safe."

They all glanced to each other - Stephen was half convinced they were speaking telepathically - before Skarloey eased forward. The rest of the engines followed in suit.

His calm dementor surprised all of the medics, but they didn't waste time rushing him inside. Renneas ran with then, nobody stopped him.

Some of the medics stayed behind and helped guide the rest of them. Edward still held Shale in his arms as they all walked inside. The interior was simple, but tasteful. Cream coloured walls with faded pink trimming on the edges.

Most of the furniture matched the walls, save for some cheap blue plastic chairs. They lead the motley group to a series of doorways and opened the door. They all stepped inside at once, not wanting to leave the others.

Each of the engines found a place to sit. Edward and Shale on the examination bed, Renneas and Rusty on the two extra seats, Falcon and Peter sat on the ground huddle together and Duncan leaned against the wall.

Soon, one human stepped inside wearing a long white coat. Seeing it made Shales anxiety spike and she pressed closer to Edward. The doctor didn't seem to notice.

"Hello, I'm just here to help you all out? Okay?" He asked cheerfully.

No response, his smile faltered for a moment, but he wasn't deterred. "So, Shale? Was it? I'm going to have to clean and re-stitch those cuts. Try to sit still, it won't hurt a bit?"

"That's a bold faced lie and we both know it." She spat out as he reached for the supplies.

If it affected him, he ignored it. He held out a cotton ball and gestured for her foot. That's when Shale realized all she had on was the thin blue paper robe. She'd lost her shoes, jackets and boots. Leaving her feet bare to the rough and merciless forest floor.

She crossed her legs reflexively and pressed her face into Edwards torn shirt to try and hide her blush. "Ha, don't worry. I've seen it all before."

"Doesn't mean I want you to." She added, hissing slightly at the sudden streak of pain. The doctor mumbled a quick 'sorry' each time.

He began dabbing salve on her feet and wrapped them in bandages. "Okay, now I'll have to clean the stitches."

"Fire away doc." She shrugged, having significantly covered up her fear with snark.

"Heh, your brave. I'll give you that." He mumbled. She - along with the others - looked away as he pulled out the old stitches and started cleaning the large, deep cuts.

The blood had mostly clotted, but stray dried leaves had struck to the dripped blood running down her leg. He managed to clean out most of the debris and began re-stitching the cuts. His were much more thorough and practical, meant to stay shut for a long time.

Shale grit her teeth hard as he worked, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed another man peek inside. When he noticed, he ducked away.

"I already say you." She called out. "If your gonna do anything other than stalk us, maybe help patch the others up."

The doctor has just finished sealing her stitches and turned to the door. "Nah, don't mind him. He's a new nurse. Shy, but a steady hand."

"Oy, Jeremy." He called out. Then the boy - blonde and blue eyed - Shale noted, peeked out from behind. "C'mover here. You remember what to do for chemical burns, right?"

"Yes, yes." He nodded. "Run them under water for ten to twenty minutes. Then cover with a light gauze."

"Right, Peter, Falcon and Duncan got the worst of it. Start with the Mohawk one."

He shuffled inside and stood in front of Duncan. "Umm, could- could you come over to the sink for a minute? I-you need to clean out your wounds."

"Sure kiddo." He shrugged. Jeremy switched on the tap and set Duncan's hand under the stream, he flinched slightly at the cold.

"Sorry, sorry, I know it hurts." Jeremy apologized.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Nah, it don't hurt a bit. Seriously. It doesn't." To show him, he pinched his forearm and gave no reaction.

Jeremy just stood there, watching. "Oh. Oh that makes sense. I mean-"

"Oh cut it out I get what ya mean." Duncan rolled his eyes. "Oy, Falcon, Pete, get over here and wash down yer arms."

Soon after he broke into a coughing fit, to which Jeremy panicked slightly. "Ah, what's going on? Did you swallow something?"

"Yea, got a heavy dose of that gas." He wheezed, shifting over so Peter and Falcon could wash of their arms.

"Oh dear, oh dear." Jeremy bit his lip and fished around the cabinets for something. "Uhh, um, you need to gargle some cold water. You need to try and clean out the poison."

He reached up and pulled out a paper cup along with a pill bottle that fell in his head. "Ow. Umm, fill that up with water but don't swallow. Spit it out after a minute."

Peter giggled slightly, Duncan just shrugged and filled the cup. He'd though he'd washed his arms well enough so he stepped back and tipped the water into his mouth.

Jack had finished wrapping up Shales legs and had moved to help Duncan with his arms. "Here, let me help you out."

"I'm fine." He snapped. Grabbing the gauze. "I can do it myself."

"Alright." Jack shrugged. "Go ahead."

Duncan frowned at the humans complacency, but didn't question it. He unrolled the gauze and tried to wrap his arms, but the way he held it, it'd keep slipping of. He growled quietly as he struggled to hold it down.

Renneas had to try and hold a straight face as Jack treated him. He was the luckiest out of them all. Save for some major bruising on his hips and back, along with some small cuts, he was fine. Edward was also in similar condition, along with some added

Jack turned as he finished treating Edwards cuts across his feet. "Sure you don't want my help?"

"Bah, fine." Duncan muttered. "Whatever, yea. Do it."

Jack smiled good naturedly and took the gauze and secured it around Duncan's arm. "You lot ought to get some proper shoes. Or risk catching tetanus."

"You do know none of us know what that is right?" Shale stated. "Besides, running for you life doesn't exactly come with a exclusive bank account."

He just sighed. "Well, just go easy on walking for now. Don't take of those bandages, I'll look them over again in a weeks time."

Jeremy helped Peter and Falcon bandage their arms, the stark white a glaring contrast. Peter began tugging at the cotton. "Alright, but they itch terribly.

"Yea, it kinda sucks." Jeremy mumbled. "Sorry."

"So, what are you gonna do to us now?" Falcon asked. "Your clearly not gonna turn us in, but we ain't human. What's gonna happen to us?"

Jack set his hands against the counter, lips pressed in a thin like. "I, I don't know. I'm just a doctor. But I swore an oath to never harm my patients, that extend to you as well. I don't care if your human or not."

The silence stretched on for a few moments. "Why don't you wait outside? I can tell you don't like being cooped up like this."

Each the engines nodded. "Thank you, Doctor." Renneas said. They all filed back outside, now noticing that people were staring.

"I'm surprised he took this so well." Rusty commented.

"Maybe he was just as confused as us." He wondered. "Likely more so."

Each of the engines sat in a tight ring. And not wanting to take up more room than necessary, they huddle together on the floor in a pile. Renneas and Edward in the center with the other around them.

Duncan leaned against Edward shoulder, Peter and Falcon laid their heads on Renneas thigh, Rusty and Shale on Edward. It was only now they realized it how tired they all were. Most of them fell asleep immediately, though both Edward, Duncan, Renneas and Shale remained awake.

Shale didn't like hospitals, she didn't like not being able to see the sky period. Places like this reminded her of the orphanage. Dank, rancid smelling hallways, cramped rooms, the gloom hanging in the air like chains.

She curled tighter, Edward pressed a hand to hers which she gripped for comfort. "I've noticed something Renneas."

"Oh, what is it." He asked.

"All the humans refer to us as 'boys'." He stated. "But we're all older than any human here, or ever will be."

"That is odd." Renneas pondered.

The silence stretched for a few more moments and soon, a nurse came up carrying a bundle of cloth, some bottled water and food. "Here, I'm sorry we don't have much. But you two do need proper clothing."

"Yea, don't remind me." Shale mumbled, sitting up along with Duncan.

"Take what you want, the bathrooms are down the hall." She pointed.

Duncan fished out a simple yellow shirt, ripped jeans and black boots. While Shale managed to find a shrunken teal t-shirt, brown baggy cargo pants, a green tank top, grey sweater and matching sneakers. They stepped into the bathroom for a few minutes before stepping outside again.

Shale had ripped of a portion of the team shirt and used it as a bandana to keep her - now dripping - hair out of her face. "What?" She said when the others cast her odd glances. "I washed my hair, big deal."

Now that it was cleaner, her hair was brighter. More akin to mahogany than rust. She laid her head back and curled up again. Renneas looked to the door labeled 'ER' and cast a concerned look down.

"So, what now?"

"We wait." Edward said. "Wait, and hope for the best."


	31. Chapter 31 Finale

**HOLY SCRAP, I never expected this story to run for this long. Like, almost two years. (Granted most of that time wa spent procrastinating). I kinda look back and cringe at the older chapters but it's fun to look back and see how I've (I hope) improved.**

* * *

Soon, all of the engines plus Shale had fallen asleep. Each holding onto the other, occasionally nurses and patients would pass them and smile. Telling eachother how sweet they all looked. One of them set up pillows and blankets for each of them.

Hours passed and Brigitte and Stephen walked in. The media would be a storm to deal with, but the evidence was irrefutable. They wanted to take care of most of it themselves, but each of the others were required to give a testimony to the crimes committed.

All would be dealt with in due time. Neither of them wanted the engines to be alone, and the hospital was gracious enough to provide two extra cots in a examination room that wasn't being used. The night passed and - like clockwork - each of the engines rose at the crack of dawn.

Edward blinked open first, instinctively stretching his arms and hearing his joints pop. The extra action caused the others to rouse after that. Each rubbing at their eyes.

"Hmm?" Renneas mumbled. "Oh, good morning everyone."

"Mornin'." Shale groaned. "Too god damn early."

"Likewise." Falcon agreed.

"Well, you'll need to eventually." Renneas said. "I can't feel my feet."

"Wait what?" Peter cried. Then a pillow was suddenly thrown at his face. Courtesy of Duncan who was still trying to sleep.

"Shut ya bloody trap." He wined.

"Good morning to you too." Renneas grinned. Then he realized. "Wait, Skarloey!"

All the others soon recalled the events of last night. The lab, Skarloeys eye, the leaking oil. He wasn't with them, he was alone. He was left with the humans. And while all of them had a varying degree of trust when it came to them, none of them could shake the permanent sense of fear they'd be associated with.

The same nurse walked over carrying a clipboard. Greeting each of them with a smile. "Good morning boys, I've got some great news."

"Is my brother okay?"

"Can he still see?"

"How badly is Skarloey damaged?"

"What'd you lot do with 'im?"

"Calm down, please." She said. "Skarloey is stable, but his eye was too damaged to save. Frankly I'm surprised he's even alive. A good portion of your anatomy is similar to that of a human so we tries to fix what we could. But… he will suffer permanent memory loss along with increased irritability and short term memory loss. Fine motor skills will also be temporarily impaired."

"Can I-we see him?" Renneas begged. "Please, I need to see Skarloey, I need to know he's safe."

"I-it's against standard processes to allow visitors after extensive surgery." She stated. Each of them visibly deflated at that. "But… this is far from a standard situation."

"Is that a yes or a no lady?" Duncan snapped.

She nodded curtly. "Yes, I can take you to him."

The rest of the engines didn't waste any time in asking the others, who complained until they heard there hasty explanation. They pulled one another to their feet - Shale still needing to lean on Edward - and followed the nurse to Skarloeys room.

The door was slightly ajar and a steady beeping could be heard. She pushed the door open and everyone flooded inside. Skarloey was much cleaner than before. Most of the dried oil had been cleaned away and the ragged old cloth had been replaced with sterile white gauze.

He was sitting up but fell back into his pillow as the rest of the engines jumped and pulled him for a hug. Each glad that he was safe and the humans kept their word. Soon they stood back and let Skarloey take them all in.

"Hello every engine - I mean, hello everyone." He smiled, but them he reached up to feel the patch across his right eye. "It's a pity I can't see you as well as before. But I can tell you're all doing much better since last time… when was last time?"

"Just yesterday." Renneas explained. "You still remember us, right?"

"Of course." Skarloey laughed softly. "Your my brother, I know all of you. And how could I forget you, Shale?"

"Your just saying that to be nice." She muttered.

"No!" He yelled. Then clapped a hand over his mouth. "I - I apologize for the outburst."

"That's alright old friend." Edward patted his hand. He glanced over to Shale who cast a knowing glance. "I've been through the same, you'll adjust eventually. All you need are good friends."

"I mean, if we aren't all friends at least after all that scrap, I don't know what we are." Falcon grinned.

"Agreed." Rusty nodded. "Your one of us Shale. You're our friend."

The red head had to hold her eyes closed, not wanting to cry in front of them all. Edward pulled her in for a loose hug as she pressed into his chest. The rest pretended not to notice but smiled in both sympathy and fondness.

They all sat together in a comfortable silence until they heard someone knock at the door. Rusty pushed of from where he sat to answer. "It's Brigitte and Stephen." He called to the others. "What do you need?"

"We've got more good news." She started. "Topham was convicted of unethical human experimentation, unethical workplace management-"

"Oh just tell em the greedy bastards gonna be behind bars for the rest of his life." Stephen cut in.

There was a light scuffle before the twins finally stepped inside. "Alright fine. That's the short version. Tophams finally got justice served on a silver platter."

Duncan frowned. "Fat bastard deserved more if ya ask me."

Some of the engines exchanged uneasy glances, but some silently agreed. After it all, it didn't feel like enough of a punishment. Them being Falcon, Rusty and even Renneas for a moment.

But both Shale and Skarloey frowned hard. "No, that's not the point." He mumbled. "An eye for an eye and the world goes blind."

Shale pushed a hand through her hair. "Yea, what he said. Hurtin' others ain't gonna help the world. Like you said Ren, sometimes we just need a friend."

Edward looked down and smiled proudly. She groaned and hid her face in her sweater sleeves. "Ahhh, I can't believe I just said that. That was the cheesiest crap I've ever said."

Duncan shrugged and nodded. "Yea that was really cheesy."

"Hey! It doesn't mean she's wrong." Skarloey snapped again.

"Alright, I get it." He raised his hands.

"So, what about me?"

They all turned to Shale, who had her hands clutching her pants. "I mean, I'm an orphan and I've stolen more shit them I care to listen. What's gonna happen to me."

"Oh, I didn't think of that yet." Brigitte licked her lips.

"Hey, don't worry about that." Stephen piped up. "We've got enough money now, we could probably pay the storekeepers what you owe them. Then again, nobody brought that up so… let's keep that within us."

"Stephen!" She said, shoving his shoulder.

"What? They didn't. And it's not like you stole anything expensive." He faked a suspension look. "Did you?"

She smiled. "Nah, nothing like that. Just food, water and some money. If I had to guess, maybe a couple hundred pounds. Not much."

"Then that's settled." He said. "The doctors said you'd be let out of here in a couple days, Skarloey. Normally it'd be longer, but they'll have someone check up on you at our house every few weeks. We explained you lot didn't take kindly to being cooped up, so they made an exception."

"I never knew humans could be this nice." Skarloey mumbled.

"Then again, our interactions were mainly with Topham or the other workers. I don't recall them being much better." Renneas added. "Speaking of, what's going to happen to them? Along with the rest of our friends, the other living machines?"

Stephen rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, that's the sorta bad news."

Brigitte swallowed visibly. "When the scientist confessed, they said that almost a third of the living machines were… killed. Everyone else is still alive, traumatized, but alive. Once we take control of the company, we'll be sure to give proper rights to all of our workers. Human, or machine."

"Tch, sounds ambitious." Falcon scoffed. "I don't know a lot about running a railroad, but won't that cost a whole lot of money?"

"Yes, but frankly, neither of us care." She stated. "Money was never our priority, never has been. We've planned to sell the Hatt estate and use the money to help support any of the unjustly treated or compensated workers. We'll still have enough to run the company… just enough."

"That's pretty damn optimistic." Shale added. "Sure you two can handle all that?"

"I mean, maybe. Probably. Hopefully." Stephen said. "There's… something else too. It's about you guys."

Each of them tensed for a moment and he seemed to notice. "No,no,no it's nothing bad I swear. It's just… you all don't have anywhere to go, don't you?"

"Unless you count the cabin in the woods or Pete and Falcons old shed, no." Duncan offered.

"No offence, but that's hardly a proper home. How will you survive?" Brigitte asked, concerned.

Shale just sighed. "I-we'll manage it. Or somethin'."

The twins looked to each other, then nodded. Brigitte started. "Well, we were hoping that perhaps… you'd want to live with us?"

Each of the engines were in disbelief. "I-I don't know what to say." Renneas began. "What about jobs? How will you support all ten of us at once? Is that even possible?"

"I'm pretty sure we could get buy for a couple months." Stephen shrugged. "But you lot will have to get jobs soon, it don't need to be anything big. Every little bit'll help."

They all could accept that. Despite their poor treatment, each of the engines were hard and willing workers. There strength would be a valuable asset and some of them were amazed with all the new possibilities. Now they were free, they could do and be who they wanted.

"Oh! I'd love to work with animals more!" Peter exclaimed. "Before we were to big and noisy to get close, now I can finally hug cows and sheep!"

"That's what you're excited for?" Falcon said, amused. "If I'm gonna work anywhere, it'll be somewhere quiet."

"Perhaps the library?" Renneas offered. "I would enjoy being close to so many books. I could provide more learning material for you all, expand our horizons so to speak."

This was going so much better than the twins expected. "So, what's your verdict?" Brigitte asked hopefully. "We'll provide everything we can for you, we promise."

How could they say no?

::::

A taxi had been waiting outside and after much yelling and shoving, everyone piled inside. This time, each of the engines and humans got a clear view of the towns around them. The sky was finally clear as people walked around, either in pairs, alongside with their children or in merry groups.

Somehow, the world seemed brighter, hopeful. Shale squinted at a man waving a newspaper around and was only just able to make out the headlines. "Engines Turned Human, Conspiracy or Monstrosities?"

"What do they know?" Skarloey frowned. "Stupid humans."

"Yea, the reporters will want a piece of you lot for sure." Stephen muttered. "Sorry, there's only so much we can say to sway what they say. They'll do anything to make a story more interesting."

"Glad to know some things never change." Shake said. "Wonder what they'll say next. 'Redhead Street Rat Found with Super Strength, a Menace to Proper Society'." She said that in an exaggerated paper boy voice and some found it amusing.

"Well they can piss of!" Skarloey yelled. "No one messes with my friends!"

"Brother please." Renneas said calmly.

"Ha, I kinda like this new Skarloey." Duncan said to himself. "He ain't as much of a pushover."

Said engine frowned hard and almost pushed of his seat, but his brother held him down. "Quit squirming back there!" Brigitte called. "You boys are ridiculous."

Falcon figured it was a good time to ask his - and everyone else's - question. "Why do you keep calling us boys? All of us are older than you by at least half a dozen decades."

"He's got a point sis." Stephen pagreed.

"I'm sorry. I know you're all much older, but that's not it." Brigitte started. "You don't know much about how human society works. Not the fine details at least. Call it what you will, I just… I don't know."

"Oh." Falcon whispered.

"So, then what do you see us as?" Peter asked.

"Well since we're both adopting you, I guess that makes you our… children?"

His tone at the end of the sentence implied more of a question than a statement. They were all quiet before Renneas spoke up again. "Well, I have no issue with it. While somewhat odd given the age gap, it's… it's nice. To know you see us as such."

The rest had more or less similar reactions. Some taking the new tittle more reluctantly than others. The engines were still tired, sleep hanging like a hook. Each of them passed in and out of consciousness throughout the ride. They passed through the busiest sections of the town and back down to the further, less hectic outskirts.

Shale was the only one in the back who kept awake the whole ride. She spent most of it thinking, recalling everything that had happened in a matter of weeks. From street rat, to the 'teacher' of a bunch of engines turned humans, to science experiments then to… whatever you'd call her situation. Belonging? Safe?

Safe, it was a word she never thought she'd use in a long time. She was never safe, not really. Then again is anyone ever totally safe? She figured no, even regular people have things to watch out for. But at least now she'd have people to watch for her.

Still, she'd have a hard time adjusting. Shale had grown used to fighting, lying and stealing. It'd take a while for her to break the habits.

"Hey, Shale?" Stephen piped up. "You still awake?"

"No I'm totally asleep." She replied.

"Ha, Ha, very funny. But seriously, how are ya doin? This has to be kinda… I don't know. Kinda crazy."

She hugged her knees, tracing where the long line of stitches started. "I don't wanna get all mushy. I just don't think this is a good time."

"Hey, whatever it is that's on your mind, I won't judge." He comforted. "It's probably a lot."

"I'll give you that one." She said. "I… it's been a while since I've had 'this', " she made a circle motion with her fingers. "it's weird. Like, I know this would be my life it it still feels weird."

"I mean, your brothers are humanized engines I think weird is an understatement."

Shale was about to retort with 'that's not what I meant', but instead huffed out a laugh. "Yea, I figured. But, but still. You know what I mean."

"In full honesty I don't. Not for certain at least."

"Really? Didn't pick up the fact I was a street urchin?"

"Well… yea I kinda did." He said strained. "No offence, but it's sorta obvious."

"That's the point, people stay away from unfamiliar and dirty things." She explained.

He was silent for a moment. "Did you like it?"

"Of course I - I," Did she? Shale wondered how much of what she needed to do did she really enjoy and what part was just to keep her alive. The thrill of a good fight was something she'd always had. Stealing and pickpocketing didn't do the same for her adrenaline rush.

She settled for an answer in between. "No, not everything."

"Alright, it's okay. You won't need to do whatever you had to anymore. I promise you'll get the life you deserve from now on. You'll get to have a childhood."

"Thank you."

Even at the orphanage, happiness was a rarity. Living there was hardly living. Thin sheets and old food. Shale hated the place. On the streets, she had freedom but was fighting to stay alive every day. Sometimes literally. She was ultimately glad to leave it all behind.

The car soon pulled up to the small town house. But the redhead grit her teeth when he saw someone sitting on the porch. Stephen made a motion to exit the car but Shale stopped him.

"Wait, I know this guy. He probably wants to talk to me."

"Are you sure?" He asked wearily. "He's not dangerous?"

"Just keep a hand on your wallet and you'll be fine." She said as she stepped outside.

He saw on the concrete steps, smoking a cigarette. When Shale stepped outside, he saw up and grinned. "The prodigal daughter returns."

"Cut the crap, Picks." She started. "Why are you here?"

"What? Not gonna cut your old friend some slack?" He shrugged.

"We both know you lost the status of friends when you started rigging those matches." She said. "That wasn't right, plain and simple."

"As if either of us had a choice." Picks said. "Kid, listen, I'm happy you've found a better life. I really am. But what I said about the world still stands."

She went silent. 'The world won't stop to pull you up'. "I know, but I'd rather face it looking up instead of down. If it means others look up too."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Since when were you so optimistic?"

"I never said I was." She said.

"Right."

Picks stepped forward and set a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small and genuine smile. "Shale… Annie, just be careful. Stay safe. And stay alive."

With that he stepped away, hands jammed in his pockets like nothing had happened. The rest of the people in the taxi had awoken and stepped outside. Edward tilted his head behind her curiously.

"Annie?" He asked. "Who is that?"

She sighed and faced the others. "That was my old name, from back at the orphanage."

Skarloey blinked hard for a moment, then it clicked. "Oh." The rest of the engines had similar reactions.

"What? Did you seriously think my name was 'Shale'?"

"That was what you told me when we first met." Edward stated.

"That was just my street name. 'Annie' isn't exactly intimidating."

"So, would you like us to call you Annie now?" Brigitte asked.

She thought about that. Shale was someone who was quick to flare and lash, shoulders always hunched and waiting for the next attack. Someone who was hardened and believed there was no good left in the world.

Annie knew better know. They all did.

"Sure, go ahead."

It felt good to finally be home.

* * *

 **With this, marks the end of Tales of a Runaway. Thank you all for remaining till the end. This probably seems abrupt and maybe a little cliche. But really, at it's core this was meant to be a story about having hope that there is still good left in the world.**

 **I hope you all had fun on this adventure. Here's to a hopeful future.**


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